DEPRESSION, SMOKING, AND NICOTINE - TOWARD A BIOINFORMATIONAL SITUATION BY TRAIT MODEL

Associations of psychological depression and negative affect with smok ing are well established but need further explanation. Evidence suppor ts the view that neuroticism is an important psychological variable me diating the relationship of genes, depression, and smoking. Both neuro ticism and depression are associated with decreased left-frontal and/o r increased right-frontal cortical activation and information processi ng that predispose individuals to negative affect, negative associativ e processes, withdrawal, and passive coping. In such individuals, nico tine appears to normalize frontal cortical activation asymmetries, and to have antidepressant and anxiolytic effects. Mechanisms that may me diate the antidepressant effects of nicotine and the association of sm oking with depression are reviewed and discussed within a bioinformati onal situation by trait model. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.