O Papel bidirecional da nicotina na tarefa Go/No-go: um ensaio clínico piloto / The bidirectional role of nicotine in a Go/No-go task: a pilot clinical trial / El papel bidireccional de la nicotina en la tarea Go/no-go: un ensayo clínico piloto

Estudos mostram que o tabagismo é responsável por afetar algumas funções cognitivas. No entanto, a nicotina é apenas um dos componentes existentes no cigarro e existem evidências de que pode servir como agente neuroprotetivo e causar melhoras em algumas funções cognitivas. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi investigar como a nicotina interage com algumas funções cognitivas. Um ensaio clínico piloto com administração de gomas de nicotina contendo 2-mg ou 4-mg, ou gomas placebo contendo a mesma textura, sabor e aparência, foi realizado. Quarenta e dois participantes participaram da pesquisa e os resultados indicaram que a relação entre nicotina e o desempenho na tarefa Go/No-Go podem ser bidirecionais. Os resultados indicaram que participantes do grupo que utilizaram 4-mg de nicotina apresentaram menor desempenho, enquanto os participantes que fizeram uso de 2-mg de nicotina tiveram melhor desempenho do que os demais. Esta pesquisa tem aplicações biopsicossociais e podem ajudar na compreensão da relação entre tabagismo e nicotina, além de contribuir para estratégias que possam ajudar no abandono do cigarro ou na melhora de condições que afetem a cognição (AU).

Past findings in the literature indicated that smoking could affect given cognitive functions. However, nicotine is only one of the components in cigarettes and there is evidence that it may act as a neuroprotective agent and improve some cognitive functions. The purpose of this research was to investigate how nicotine interacts with certain cognitive functions. We conducted a pilot clinical trial using nicotine gum containing 2-mg or 4-mg, or placebo gum with the same texture, flavor, and appearance. Forty-two healthy nonsmokers were enrolled in this research. Our findings indicated that the relationship between nicotine and performance on the Go/No-Go task might be opposite. The results showed that participants in the 4-mg group performed worse, while participants who used 2-mg of nicotine performed better than the others. This research supports biopsychosocial applications and can help interpret the relationship between smoking and nicotine, and contribute to strategies that may support smoking cessation, or improve conditions that affect cognition (AU).

Estudios demuestran que el tabaquismo es responsable de afectar a algunas funciones cognitivas. Sin embargo, la nicotina es solo uno de los componentes de los cigarrillos, y existen evidencias de que la nicotina puede actuar como un agente neuroprotector y mejorar algunas funciones cognitivas. El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar cómo la nicotina interactúa con algunas funciones cognitivas. Se realizó un ensayo clínico piloto con la administración de chicles de nicotina de 2 mg o 4 mg, o chicles de placebo con la misma textura, sabor y apariencia. Cuarenta y dos participantes participaron en la investigación y los resultados indicaron que la relación entre la nicotina y el rendimiento en la tarea Go/No-go puede ser bidireccional. Los resultados indicaron que los participantes del grupo de 4 mg obtuvieron un menor rendimiento en las variables del Go/No-Go, mientras que los participantes que utilizaron 2 mg de nicotina obtuvieron un mejor rendimiento que los demás. Esta investigación respalda las aplicaciones biopsicosociales y puede ayudar a interpretar la relación entre el tabaquismo y la nicotina, además de contribuir a las estrategias que pueden ayudar a dejar de fumar o mejorar las condiciones que afectan la cognición (AU).

Short-term effects of nicotine gum on facial detection in healthy nonsmokers: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to investigate short-term effects of nicotine gum on facial detection. Methods: Fourteen participants (mean age = 26.8 years, SD = 2.5 years; eight males) were enrolled in this pilot randomized controlled trial of nicotine gum administration (placebo, 2-mg and 4-mg doses). The participants were instructed to detect the location of a face when it was presented in a face/nonface pair on the screen. A repeated multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to analyze the results for reaction time and discrimination index. Demographics were used to explore significant association on facial detection. Bayesian analyses were also carried out considering maximum robustness to avoid bias. Results: The results indicated that the 2-mg dose resulted in faster reaction time and better discrimination than the 4-mg dose (p < 0.001). The 4-mg dose resulted in slower reaction time and lower discrimination index compared to both placebo (p < 0.01) and 2-mg doses (p < 0.001). Demographic data were not related to the outcomes. Conclusions: The results indicate that nicotine improved facial detection, but only at low doses (i.e., 2-mg), following a U-shaped curve. We trust future studies will continue to advance this research field, and if further work supports these preliminary findings, nicotine can act as therapeutic target in populations such as those with low vision.

Effects of Nicotine Gum Administration on Vision (ENIGMA-Vis): Study Protocol of a Double-Blind, Randomized, and Controlled Clinical Trial.

Studies reported that tobacco addiction was related to visual impairments, but one unresolved issue is whether the impairments are related to the many compounds existing in the cigarettes or to the effects of nicotine. On the other hand, nicotine gum can be used as replacement therapy or as a neuroprotective agent for some diseases. The main purpose of this controlled trial is to investigate the effects of nicotine gum on vision. The ENIGMA-Vis trial aims to compare two dosages of nicotine gum (2 and 4 mg) and a placebo gum in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 100 participants to be allocated into a single group assignment of repeated measures (two studies; N = 50 for each one). Eligibility criteria are healthy non-smokers not diagnosed with substance abuse and without an acute or chronic medical condition. Intervention will last three sessions for each participant with a window frame of 1 week per session. Study outcomes are (1) short-term effects of nicotine gum on contrast sensitivity; (2) short-term effects of nicotine gum on chromatic contrast discrimination; and (3) whether demographics, body mass index, or serum cotinine predicts response of visual processing. This study addresses an important gap in the effects of nicotine on vision. One of the main takeaways of this study is to understand the effects of nicotine on contrast sensitivity and chromatic contrast discrimination. This information will provide a further understanding of how nicotine interacts with early visual processes and help determine how the different components present during smoking can affect vision. Clinical Trial Registration Number: RBR-46tjy3.

Opposite effects of smoking and nicotine intake on cognition.

Our main purpose was to investigate how smoking and nicotine interacted with specific aspects of cognitive functioning. The research was conducted in two parts: (i) an investigation of cognition in heavy smokers and healthy nonsmokers, and (ii) an investigation of cognition in healthy nonsmokers enrolled in a clinical trial involving administration of nicotine gum. Results indicated that the relationship between smoking and nicotine was characterized by an inverted U-shaped effect. On the one hand, cognitive test performance of the heavy smokers group was reduced on all of the cognitive tasks used here. On the other hand, healthy nonsmokers who used 2-mg of nicotine gum performed better, whilst the 4-mg group performed worse than the 2-mg and the placebo group. Demographic data were not related to the cognitive tasks. These data suggest that small doses of nicotine can have an activating function that leads to improved cognition, while heavy smoking on a chronic (and possibly acute) basis leads to cognitive impairment.

Dados normativos de um conjunto de faces do Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces em uma amostra brasileira / Normative data of a faces set from Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces in a Brazilian sample / Datos normativos de un conjunto de caras de Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces en una muestra brasileña

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi obter dados normativos de um conjunto de faces do Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces (KDEF) em uma amostra brasileira. Para isso foi utilizada uma amostra não probabilística (por conveniência) de 100 participantes da cidade de João Pessoa-PB. Esses tinham idades entre 18 e 62 anos (M=21,6; DP=6,2), a maioria do sexo feminino (76%). Os resultados mostraram que os participantes obtiveram um percentual de acerto médio de 76,2%, de modo que expressões de Alegria (94.7%) e Surpresa (90.3%) foram as emoções mais facilmente identificáveis e Medo (40.65%) a mais difícil. Em relação às medidas de intensidade e valência, Nojo seguida de Surpresa obtiveram classificações mais intensas, e Alegria foi a única emoção com valência positiva alta. Esses achados foram bastante similares com àqueles relatados em pesquisas anteriores, fornecendo normas subjetivas de classificação mais adequadas às características da população brasileira.

The goal of this research was to obtain normative data of set of faces from Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces (KDEF) in a Brazilian sample. It was used a non-probabilistic sample (convenience sample) of 100 participants from the city of João Pessoa-PB. Age ranged from 18 to 62 years (M=21.6, SD=6.2), in which the majority was female (76%). Results showed that participants achieved a mean hit rate of 76.2%, and expressions of joy (94.7%) and surprise (90.3%) were the easiest emotions to identify and fear (40.65%) the most difficult. Regarding the measures of intensity and valence, disgust and surprise obtained more intense classifications, and joy was the only emotion with high positive valence. These findings were quite similar to those reported in previous research, providing subjective norms of classification suitable to the characteristics of the Brazilian population.

El objetivo de esta investigación fue obtener datos normativos de un conjunto de expresiones faciales del Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces (KDEF) en una muestra brasileña. Para ello, se utilizó una muestra no probabilística (por conveniencia) de 100 participantes de la ciudad de João Pessoa-PB. Ellos tenían edades entre 18 y 62 años (M=21,6, DP=6,2), la mayoría del sexo femenino (76%). Los resultados mostraron que los participantes obtuvieron un porcentaje de acierto promedio del 76,2%, de modo que las expresiones de Alegría (94.7%) y Sorpresa (90.3%) fueron las emociones más fáciles de identificar y Miedo (40.65%) la más difícil. Con relación a las medidas de intensidad y valencia, Asco seguida de Sorpresa obtuvieron clasificaciones más intensas, y Alegría fue la única emoción con valencia positiva alta. Estos hallazgos fueron muy similares con aquellos reportados en investigaciones anteriores, proporcionando normas subjetivas de clasificación más adecuadas a las características de la población brasileña.