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Aversive Information Processing Biases in Nicotine Dependence

Award Number: R21DA052626
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2025

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Aversive Information Processing Biases in Nicotine Dependence - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is on the rise, particularly among young people, and has been linked to nicotine dependence. Abuse of ENDS is associated with a variety of adverse consequences, but as is frequently observed with substance dependence, these adverse consequences are often insufficient to motivate and sustain quitting attempts. Nicotine dependence remains a significant public health burden. New approaches to facilitate quitting and sustain abstinence are needed, which will require novel insights into why a nicotine addiction remains so difficult to overcome. Attention has long been understood to play an important role in the addiction process, including nicotine addiction. Attention selects which aspects of sensory input receive cognitive processing and thereby influence behavior. A substantial body of research has been devoted to investigating the mechanisms by which smoking-related cues draw attention through reward-mediated processes and the degree to which these biases predict quitting, along with developing attentional bias modification techniques intended to facilitate quitting. These efforts have been largely unsuccessful and therefore appear to fall short of accounting for the full range of information processing biases responsible for the maintenance of a nicotine addiction. In the pursuit of a more comprehensive account of these biases, the influence of aversive outcomes on attention offers promise. Interest in how aversive outcomes influence the control of attention has grown in recent years, and robust biases towards aversively- conditioned stimuli have been identified in non-clinical samples. However, how aversive conditioning influences attention in the context of addiction remains unexplored. This is especially pertinent to the issue of why individuals often maintain an addiction in spite of repeated exposure to its harmful effects. To address this gap in understanding, the proposed research seeks to identify how nicotine-dependent ENDS users and non-users differ with respect to the manner in which their attention systems are influenced by aversive outcomes. In Specific Aim 1, attentional biases towards aversively conditioned stimuli in ENDS users and matched non- users will be measured, probing the strength of threat-related attentional biases. In Specific Aim 2, differences between users and non-users with respect to the relative influences of threat detection and negative reinforcement on the control of attention will be examined, which together with Specific Aim 1 will provide a comprehensive picture of whether and how aversive information processing differs between ENDS users and non-users. The overarching goal of the proposed research is to more fully characterize how biases in the orienting of attention are related to nicotine addiction, offering unique insights into why users are often undeterred by the adverse effects of their habit. Knowledge gained from the proposed research could provide a foundation for more effective treatments, quitting programs, and clinical assessment tools.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = -$19,092 )
2026	2023	TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY	400 HARVEY MITCHELL PKY S STE 300	COLLEGE STATION	TX	77845	BRAZOS	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	2	12/3/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$19,092
														Subtotal = -$19,092

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $245,314 )
2023	2023	TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY	400 HARVEY MITCHELL PKY S STE 300	COLLEGE STATION	TX	77845	BRAZOS	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	2	5/12/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$183,742
2023	2023	TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY	400 HARVEY MITCHELL PKY S STE 300	COLLEGE STATION	TX	77845	BRAZOS	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	001	2	8/1/2023	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$61,572
														Subtotal = $245,314

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $221,886 )
2022	2022	TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY	400 HARVEY MITCHELL PKY S STE 300	COLLEGE STATION	TX	77845	BRAZOS	USA	Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs	000	1	5/24/2022	NEW	$221,886
														Subtotal = $221,886

Grand Total All Awards = $448,108

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Aversive Information Processing Biases in Nicotine Dependence

Award Number: R21DA052626

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2025

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