Short paper

Nicotine-induced brain metabolism associated with anger provocation

Jean-G Gehricke¹ , Steven G Potkin¹ , Frances M Leslie² , Sandra E Loughlin² , Carol K Whalen³ , Larry D Jamner³ , James Mbogori¹ and James H Fallon⁴

¹  Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, 19722 MacArthur Blvd., Irvine, California 92612, USA

²  Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA

³  Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA

⁴  Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA

author email corresponding author email

Behavioral and Brain Functions 2009, 5:19doi:10.1186/1744-9081-5-19

Published:	24 April 2009

Abstract

Cortico-limbic brain activity associated with anger may be susceptible to nicotine and, thus, may contribute to smoking initiation and nicotine addiction. The purpose of the study was to identify the brain regions that are most reactive to nicotine and show the greatest association with anger task performance. Twenty adult nonsmokers (9 women, 11 men) participated in two laboratory sessions to assess brain metabolism with fluoro deoxy-glucose Positron Emission Topography (FDG-PET) in response to nicotine and placebo patches during an anger provocation task. Outcome variables for the anger provocation task were reaction time, intensity and length of retaliation. Reaction time was associated with nicotine-induced changes in the left thalamus. Length of retaliation was associated with a functionally linked set of cortical and subcortical structures such as right frontal lobe, right anterior cingulate (BA 24), right uncus, left parietal lobe, left BA 11, left cingulate, left BA 25, left amygdala, left BA 30, left BA 38 and BA 9. These findings reveal the underlying brain circuitry targeted by nicotine during anger provocation.