Sweitzer, Maggie
(2013)
PROCESSING OF SMOKING AND MONETARY REWARDS AMONG CHRONIC SMOKERS: CHARACTERIZATION OF NEURAL RESPONSE, MODERATION BY ABSTINENCE, AND ASSOCIATION WITH SMOKING OUTCOMES.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Theoretical models suggest that chronic smoking may be associated with both hypersensitivity to smoking and related cues and hyposensitivity to alternative reinforcers, and that these effects may be more pronounced during deprivation from smoking. However, neural responses to smoking and non-smoking rewards are rarely evaluated within the same paradigm, and current neuroimaging evidence on the effects of deprivation on reward processing is limited. Bias toward smoking reward in lieu of alternative rewards during abstinence could represent a fundamental mechanism contributing to relapse during a quit attempt. In this dissertation, I present a series of analyses to address three primary aims: 1) to characterize the neural response to smoking and non-smoking rewards among chronic smokers within the same paradigm, 2) to determine the impact of deprivation upon the neural response to both reward types, and 3) to evaluate the association between neural responses to both reward types and the choice to smoke in lieu of alternative reinforcement. Smokers each participated in two separate fMRI scans, one after smoking ad libitum and one following 24 hours of abstinence. A rewarded guessing task was conducted during each scan to evaluate BOLD response during anticipation and delivery of both smoking and monetary rewards. Following completion of both scans, smokers engaged in a quit attempt supported by contingency management, during which abstinence from smoking was reinforced with monetary iii
reward. Results indicated that smoking and monetary rewards both activated the same reward-related circuitry, including ventral and dorsal striatum, anterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and bilateral insula. Abstinence from smoking was associated with an increase in anticipatory activation to smoking reward and a parallel decrease in anticipatory activation to monetary reward in the same reward-related regions. Furthermore, preliminary analyses suggested that larger decreases in anticipatory activation to monetary reward in the right caudate were associated with higher likelihood of lapse during contingency management. Collectively, these results suggest that reward processing may be biased toward smoking reward at the expense of alternative rewards during abstinence—a bias which may directly impact smoking behavior during a quit attempt.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
30 September 2013 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
15 April 2013 |
| Approval Date: |
30 September 2013 |
| Submission Date: |
24 June 2013 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
171 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Psychology |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
nicotine
striatum
caudate
fMRI
addiction
reward |
| Date Deposited: |
30 Sep 2013 18:38 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 14:13 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/19094 |
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