Summary
Introduction:
This text is a summary of a scientific study published in the journal Psychopharmacology in 2013. The study explores the effects of nicotine delivered via electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) on prospective memory (PM), tobacco withdrawal symptoms, and desire to smoke in abstinent smokers. The study is a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, within-subjects design.
Key points:
* The study included 20 smokers who were abstinent for 8-10 hours before each of the two experimental sessions.
* Participants used an e-cigarette with either 18 mg (nicotine) or 0 mg (placebo) cartridges during the sessions.
* PM was measured using the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CAMPROMPT), and desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal symptoms were measured using self-report scales.
* Compared to placebo, the nicotine e-cigarette reduced the desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal symptoms, and improved time-based but not event-based PM.
* There was a moderate, marginally significant negative correlation between PM performance during abstinence and nicotine dependence.
Main message:
The study provides evidence that nicotine derived from e-cigarettes can improve PM in abstinent smokers, suggesting efficient nicotine delivery. The finding that the effect of nicotine was restricted to time-based rather than event-based PM is consistent with the view that nicotine acts to improve performance on strategic (effortful) rather than automatic processing. These findings add to the growing body of evidence that e-cigarettes can replace some of the effects of nicotine derived from tobacco smoking, thus highlighting their potential for smoking cessation. However, the long-term health effects of e-cigarette use remain unknown and require further research.
Citation
Dawkins, Lynne, John Turner, and Eadaoin Crowe. “Nicotine Derived from the Electronic Cigarette Improves Time-Based Prospective Memory in Abstinent Smokers.” Psychopharmacology 227, no. 3 (June 2013): 377–84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-2983-2.
