Skip to main content
Log in

Euphoriant effects of nicotine in smokers

  • Original Investigations
  • Published:
Psychopharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to replicate and extend previous demonstrations of smoking-induced, dose-related reports of euphoria, and to confirm this relationship using measures of plasma nicotine. In experiment 1, overnight-deprived subjects, in three different sessions, smoked ultralow-, high-nicotine, and usualbrand cigarettes. In experiment 2, ultralow-, medium-, and high-nicotine cigarettes were used, and plasma nicotine was measured. In both studies, subjects were asked to depress a button during euphoric sensations. Number of sensations for the ultralow-nicotine cigarette was significantly lower than for the high-nicotine cigarette in the first study, and than for both the medium- and high-nicotine conditions in the second; a significant linear trend was observed for number of sensations as a function of plasma nicotine level in the second study. For the high-nicotine cigarette, 19 of 22 subjects experienced at least one sensation (mean around three), starting around 2.5 min after lighting up. Together, these studies support the existence of a dose-response relationship for nicotine-induced euphoric sensations; suggest that they are more pronounced following overnight abstinence than following minimal deprivation, and in more dependent smokers; and characterize in detail the temporal features of these sensations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Benowitz N (1988) Pharmacologic aspects of cigarette smoking and nicotine addiction NEJM 319:1318–1330

    Google Scholar 

  • Dougherty JH, Miller D, Todd G, Kostenbauder HB (1981) Reinforcing and other behavioral effects of nicotine. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 5:487–495

    Google Scholar 

  • Fagerstrom KO (1978) Measuring degree of physical dependence to tobacco smoking with reference to individualization of treatment. Addict Behav 3:235–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Hariharan M, Van Noord T, Greden JF (1988) A high-performance liquid-chromatographic method for routine simultaneous determination of nicotine and cotinine in plasma. Clin Chem 34:724–729

    Google Scholar 

  • Henningfield JE (1983) Measurement issues in cigarette smoking research: basic behavioral and physiological effects and patterns of nicotine self-administration. NIDA Res Monogr 48:27–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Henningfield JE (1984) Pharmacologic basis and treatment of cigarette smoking. J Clin Psychiatry 4512 [sec. 2]:24–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Henningfield JE, Goldberg SR, Herning RI, Jasinski DR, Lukas SE, Miyasato K et al. (1986) Human studies of the behavioral pharmacological determinants of nicotine dependence. Problems of drug dependence 1985. NIDA Research Monograph 67, DHHS Publication (ADM) 86-1448. US Government Printing Office, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Henningfield JE, Jasinski DR (1983) Human pharmacology of nicotine. Psychopharmacol Bull 19:413–415

    Google Scholar 

  • Henningfield JE, London ED, Jaffe JH (1987) Nicotine reward: studies of abuse liability and physical dependence potential. In: Engel J, Oreland L (eds) Brain reward systems and abuse. Raven Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubbard JE, Gohd RS (1975) Tolerance development to the arousal effects of nicotine. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 3:471–476

    Google Scholar 

  • Jasinski DR, Boren JJ, Henningfield JE, Johnson RE, Lange WR, Lukas SE (1984) Progress report from the NIDA Addiction Research Center, Baltimore, Maryland. NIDA Res Monogr 49:69–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozlowski LT, Wilkinson A, Skinner W, Kent C, Franklin T, Pope M (1989) Comparing tobacco cigarette dependence with other drug dependencies. JAMA 261:898–901

    Google Scholar 

  • Lukas SE, Mendelson JH, Benedikt RA, Jones B (1986) EEG, physiologic and behavioral effects of ethanol administration. Problems of Drug Dependence 1985. NIDA Research Monograph 67, DHHS Publication (ADM) 86-1448. US Government Printing Office, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Pickworth WB, Herning RI, Henningfield JE (1988) Mecamylamine reduces some EEG effects of nictoine chewing gum in humans. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 30:149–153

    Google Scholar 

  • Pomerleau OF, Fertig J, Shanahan SO (1983) Nicotine dependence in cigarette smoking:an empirically-based, multivariate model. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 19:291–299

    Google Scholar 

  • Pomerleau OF, Pomerleau CS (1984) Neuroregulators and the reinforcement of smoking: towards a biobehavioral explanation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 8:503–513

    Google Scholar 

  • Pomerleau OF, Pomerleau CS, Rose JE (1989) Controlled dosing of nicotine: a review of problems and progress. Am Behav Med 11:158–163

    Google Scholar 

  • US Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS: 1988) The health consequences of smoking: nicotine addiction. A report of the Surgeon General. DHHS 88-8406. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pomerleau, C.S., Pomerleau, O.F. Euphoriant effects of nicotine in smokers. Psychopharmacology 108, 460–465 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02247422

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02247422

Key words

Navigation