Smoking history and nicotine effects on cognitive performance

This study examined the effects of abstinence from smoking, of smoking hist ory, and of nicotine administration on visual attention (2-Letter Search Ta sk), verbal information processing (Logical Reasoning Task), and working me mory (N-Back Tasks). Fourteen smokers, 15 ex-smokers, and 9 never-smokers t ook part. All subjects participated in a training session (when smokers had been smoking ad libitum) and in two subsequent test sessions after adminis tration of 4 mg nicotine gum or placebo, respectively. Smokers were 12-h ab stinent when they received gum. An effect of acute nicotine administration (independent of smoking history) was seen only with respect to reaction tim e on the 2-Letter Search Task. Working memory performance was related to sm oking history (smokers performed most poorly and never-smokers best). The L ogical Reasoning Task showed no effects of either acute or chronic nicotine exposure. The findings indicate that nicotine may influence focusing of at tention in smokers as well as nonsmokers, and that trait-like differences i n some cognitive domains, such as working memory, may be either long-term e ffects or etiological factors related to smoking. (C) 2001 American College of Neu ropsychopharmacology. Published by Elseiver Science Inc. All rights reserved.