INTRODUCTION Stimulants increase cigarette smoking in the naturalistic environment and laboratory. The effects of methylphenidate on a 9-trial, discrete cigarette versus money ($0.25) choice task were tested to elucidate the mechanisms underlying stimulant-induced increases in smoking. METHODS Eleven participants who reported smoking 10-20 cigarettes/day completed the study. Four doses of met...

n engl j med 365;3 nejm.org july 21, 2011 193 as drug-delivery devices. Previously, products delivering refined nicotine had either been regulated as pharmaceuticals (and subjected to the “safe and effective” standard used in drug approvals) or swiftly removed from the market to protect public safety. The FDA’s decision came after the courts blocked the agency from regulating these products as ...

Nicotine self-administration in rats is the most widely used animal model of tobacco dependence. There is increasing evidence, however, that non-nicotinic constituents in smoke contribute to addiction and that different tobacco products contain varying levels of these constituents. The present study firstly sought to compare self-administration of pure nicotine to tobacco particulate matter (TP...

1300 students (54.3% girls) 13-16 years old were interviewed in the urban area of Bologna during 2010. Random effect multiple logistic regression models were used. Results show a reciprocal relationship between alcohol use, tobacco, and cannabis. Most users were offered cannabis, began using at 14 years of age, and do not believe using is very dangerous. They live with only one parent, have mor...

In drug addiction, a sensitization phenomenon has been postulated to play a critical role. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether sensitization occurs to the rewarding properties of methylphenidate, a psychostimulant drug known to possess abuse potential, as assessed with the biased conditioned place preference method in rats. In addition, since the brain dopaminergic system is considered...

objectives: according to the gateway drug theory, tobacco use is a predisposing factor for future substance abuse. this study was conducted to compare nicotine and opiate dependents to identify the differences between their personality traits and psychopathology that makes them turn to other substances after cigarette smoking. methods: a causal-comparative study was conducted. three groups were...

INTRODUCTION While most college students and other young adults who smoke fall into the light and intermittent smoking (LITS) category, they remain at risk for tobacco dependence and other adverse health effects from their smoking. This study examines smoking patterns, tobacco dependence, and other health variables among students at five universities to better understand how to identify and add...

To the Editor: The prescription of medicines like methylphenidate for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has increased ten-fold since 2004 in Denmark, and now amounts to approximately 12 million defined daily doses per year. Testing the patients for drug abuse is highly relevant, because the link between ADHD and drug abuse continues to be an area of interest in both adolescent and...

Self-expanding experiences like falling in love or engaging in novel, exciting and interesting activities activate the same brain reward mechanism (mesolimbic dopamine pathway) that reinforces drug use and abuse, including tobacco smoking. This suggests the possibility that reward from smoking is substitutable by self-expansion (through competition with the same neural system), potentially aidi...