Effects of tobacco smoking on topographic eeg and Stroop test in smoking deprived smokers

Abstract

1. 1. Quantitative electroencephalography (EEG) was used to measure human brain electrical changes produced by tobacco deprivation and smoking. Sixteen scalp cortical recording sites monitored regional changes in brain activity. 2. 2. The quantitative EEG was subdivided into delta, theta, alpha 1, alpha 2, beta 1 and beta 2 bands for topographic mapping. A demanding version of the Stroop test was used to determine tobacco smoking effects on attention. The version used was more difficult than that used in previously reported studies. 3. 3. Healthy drug and substance free adult male and female volunteers were divided into nonsmoker (n = 7) and smoker (n = 7) groups according to their smoking status. They were instructed to abstain from tobacco products for at least 12 hr overnight before the next morning's experiment. 4. 4. EEG was recorded before and after smoking either a fake placebo cigarette for nonsmokers or the cigarette of their choice for smokers. Subjects were also asked to perform the Stroop test before and after smoking the placebo or tobacco cigarette. 5. 5. The results showed that tobacco smoking significantly depressed delta and increased alpha 2 and beta 1 activity and slightly increased the Stroop effect. Although smoking one cigarette stimulated brain electrical activity of smoking deprived smokers, it did not improve performance on a difficult Stroop test.