The effect of nicotine and trauma context on acoustic startle in smokers with and without posttraumatic stress disorder
Open accessAbstract
Rationale Exaggerated startle response is a prominent feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) although results examining differences in the acoustic startle response (ASR) between those with and without PTSD are mixed. One variable that may affect ASR among persons with PTSD is smoking. Individuals with PTSD are more likely to smoke and have greater difficulty quitting smoking. While smokers with PTSD report that smoking provides significant relief of negative affect and PTSD symptoms, the effects of smoking or nicotine deprivation on startle reactivity among smokers with PTSD are unknown. Objectives The purposes of the current study were to (1) examine baseline acoustic startle response (ASR) in smokers with and without PTSD under conditions of overnight abstinence, (2) evaluate the effect of smoking on ASR, and (3) evaluate the contextual effects of trauma versus neutral script presentations. Methods ASR was measured among 48 smokers with and without PTSD in the context of a 2 (group: PTSD vs. non-PTSD) x 2 (context: trauma vs. neutral) x 3 (smoking condition: usual brand cigarette vs. denicotinized cigarette vs. no smoking) design. Results Effects of modest size indicated that (1) PTSD participants demonstrated higher ASR (2) compared to non-PTSD participants, PTSD participants reported greater negative affect following a trauma-related script, and (3) following a trauma-related script and smoking a usual brand cigarette, PTSD participants demonstrated higher ASR. Conclusions Although many smokers with PTSD report that smoking reduces PTSD symptoms, results suggest that smoking may actually potentiate or maintain an exaggerated startle response.
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Smoking may exacerbate symptoms of PTSD, as evidenced by enhanced acoustic startle in patients with PTSD after smoking.
“Smoking may exacerbate symptoms of PTSD as evidenced by enhanced acoustic startle in patients with PTSD after smoking (Calhoun et al., 2011b).”
From Maladaptive autonomic regulation in PTSD accelerates physiological aging (2015) · cites this paper as Calhoun et al., 2011b
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- Authors
- Calhoun, P. S., Wagner, H. R., McClernon, F. J., Lee, S., Dennis, M. F., Vrana, S. R., Clancy, C. P., Collie, C. F., Johnson, Y. C., & Beckham, J. C.
- Affiliations
- VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (US)
- Durham VA Medical Center (US)
- Duke Medical Center (US)
- Virginia Commonwealth University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Calhoun, Patrick S.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychopharmacology
- Published
- 2010-12-29
- Volume
- 215
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 379-389
- ISSN
- 0033-3158 (ISSN-L)
- 1432-2072
- PMC
- PMC3270823
- OpenAlex
- W1982176560
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2024: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 4
- FWCI
- 1.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Psychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- National Institutes of Health (5k24da016388-10)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (K24-DA-016388, R21DA019704, 2K24DA016388)
- National Cancer Institute (R21CA12896, R21CA128965)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Keywords
- post-traumatic stress disorder, nicotine, smoking, acoustic startle response, startle reactivity, nicotine deprivation, negative affect
- MeSH terms
- Acoustic Stimulation, Adult, Carbon Monoxide, Electromyography, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Nicotine, Pilot Projects, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Severity of Illness Index, Smoking, Reflex, Startle, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Nicotinic Agonists, Sensory Gating
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