The primary aim of this project is to determine the threshold dose of nicotine, which the smokers will be able to differentiate from placebo (saline). Will use IV pulsed-nicotine infusion that closely matches nicotine delivery by inhaled tobacco use (i.e., tobacco cigarette or electronic cigarette), allowing precise and reproducible nicotine delivery. Four nicotine doses (0.1, 0.05, 0.025, and 0.0125 mg nicotine/pulse) which are within the range of nicotine doses that are delivered by cigarettes with very low to regular nicotine content. These doses will be delivered as a cluster of 4 pulsed-nicotine infusions of 2 sec duration with a 28 sec interval between each dose.
Twenty participants will have 2 Experimental Session on 2 separate days. Experimental Session 1 will determine if smokers can reliably discriminate 0.1mg nicotine/pulse nicotine from saline. Experimental Session 2 will determine if smokers can discriminate 0.05, 0.025, and 0.0125 mg nicotine/pulse of nicotine from saline. Hypothesis: The threshold for discrimination will be 0.05 mg nicotine/pulse and the doses below that (0.025, and 0.0125 mg nicotine/pulse) will be subthreshold. Exploratory Aim: To explore the relationship between the threshold for subjective drug effects and drug discrimination.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
11
Determine if smokers can discriminate 0.05, 0.025, and 0.0125 mg nicotine/pulse of nicotine from saline.
Saline will be use to determine if smokers can discriminate from the nicotine/pulse of nicotine and saline
Veterans Affairs Hospital
West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Drug Effect Questionnaire
Liking effect
Time frame: over 3 hours
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