ABSTRACT
The present study examined the effects of smoking on memory for prose passages. Habitual male smokers were matched on verbal ability, impulsivity level, and habitual smoking level and were instructed to smoke either a 0.1 mg (control), a 0.7 mg, or a 1.5 mg nicotine cigarette in a controlled fashion. Immediate recall after reading expository passages was obtained. The results indicated that the subjects who smoked the 0.7 mg nicotine cigarette recalled a greater proportion of the idea units than the control group, with no difference between the 1.5 mg group and the control. In addition, blood pressure and heart rate significantly increased in all groups immediately after smoking, with heart rate increases greater in the 0.7 mg and 1.5 mg groups than the control. Interpretive hypotheses for the results include arousal theory, with optimal arousal levels being obtained in the 0.7 mg nicotine group for the prose recall task, and nicotine specific effects, including nicotine's influence on the cholinergic system.
Subject(s)
Mental Recall/drug effects , Smoking/adverse effects , Verbal Learning/drug effects , Adult , Arousal/drug effects , Blood Pressure/drug effects , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Heart Rate/drug effects , Humans , Male , Nicotine/adverse effects , Receptors, Cholinergic/drug effects , Smoking/psychologyABSTRACT
Rats whose mothers had been treated with 1 microgram of arginine vasopressin (AVP) or oxytocin (OXT), 15 mg of caffeine, or saline on days 13-19 of gestation were given training on a passive avoidance response as adults. Female rats whose mothers had been exposed to either AVP or caffeine demonstrated enhanced retention of the response. No effects were found for male rats or for exposure to oxytocin. These results suggest that prenatal exposure to AVP or caffeine produced sexually dimorphic effects on learning and that the effects are specific to the structure of AVP.