Reduced feeling of anxiety in nicotine withdrawal

07/14/2011

Smokers are apparently not impressed by the shocking pictures on cigarette packs. As the nicotine withdrawal overrides their anxiety center in the brain, the pictures of smokers' lungs or damaged oral cavities on the cigarette boxes have no effect on tobacco addicts, according to a joint study by researchers from the University of Bonn, the University of Cologne and the Berlin Charité.

The nicotine withdrawal triggers in the smokers a significantly reduced activity of the anxiety center in the brain, whereby the shocking images on the cigarette packs completely lose their effect, so the result of a specialist magazine „Human brain mapping“ published study by Bonn, Cologne and Berlin scientists. „Apparently they are mentally caught up in their addiction and then less receptive to scary stimuli,“ explained the neurologist Özgür Onur from the University of Cologne. Onur added: „Smokers seem to need nicotine to maintain the normal function of their amygdala.“

Shock pictures on cigarette packs may be ineffective
Actually, the terrifying images of smokers, tumors and damaged oral cavities on cigarette packets should cause concern among smokers and discourage them from smoking. However, this at least partially anxiety-based approach may turn out to be useless as smokers, once on nicotine withdrawal, have a markedly reduced activity in the brain's anxiety center. As part of their study, Özgür Onur and colleagues showed the 56 participants (28 smokers / 28 non-smokers) pictures of anxious, happy and neutral faces. In parallel, the scientists recorded the brain activity in the amygdala (so-called amygdala) of the subjects. Here is also the center of anxiety, which was activated both by smokers and non-smokers alike by the sight of images with the fearful faces alike. First, be „in smokers and non-smokers (...) no differences“ to establish what suggests that „The processing of emotions in the brain is similar in both groups“ works, explained Özgür Onur.

Nicotine withdrawal suspends anxiety center
However, once the smokers had a 12-hour abstinence, there were significant differences in responses in the tobacco and nonsmoker's anxiety center, the researchers report. „The activity of the anxiety center was already greatly reduced after a few hours abstinence compared to before“, explained Onur. The consequence was that the smokers on withdrawal „Pictures of anxious people simply do not care“ were, so the statement of the expert. As soon as the tobacco addicts did not consume their average tobacco dose of 17 cigarettes a day, their sense of anxiety was clearly impaired. However, the consequences of this reduced activity in the anxiety center are, according to the researchers, not to be underestimated, since „Fear an archaic drive“ is and protects us from it „Dangerous to do“, explained René Hurlemann from Bonn University Hospital. In addition, the reduced feeling of anxiety in nicotine withdrawal in the opinion of the experts also means that the shock pictures on the cigarette packs lose their effect, as they probably hardly touch the smoker.

Expansion of therapeutic measures and improved research required
However, the shock pictures on the cigarette packs are completely useless, because in the anxiety center of non-smokers they certainly trigger reactions. „Those who do not smoke, can be foreseen by such shock campaigns are held by cigarette consumption“, the researchers report. However, further measures are needed to reach those who are already addicted to tobacco because, according to current study results, the shock pictures are unlikely to have any effect on them. Therefore, Onur and colleagues are calling for the development of therapies and intensified research to optimize smoking cessation for different patients. Whether this sustainable success can be achieved remains to be seen. So far, millions of people still use their cigarettes in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office, around 229 million cigarettes were smoked in Germany every day in 2010. Although the number of cigarettes consumed per year has declined significantly in this country in the past ten years, in the same breath the consumption of cigars, cigarillos and fine cut has increased considerably. And this although every German knows that smoking is unhealthy. (Fp)

Picture: Gerd Altmann