Prostatectomy

Abstract

<h3>Abstract</h3> Spatial attention can be magnetically attracted by behaviorally salient stimuli. This phenomenon occasionally conflicts with behavioral goals, leading to maladaptive consequences, as in the case of behavioral addictions, in which attentional capture has been often described and linked with clinically meaningful variables, such as craving level or dependence intensity. Here, we sought to probe the markers of attentional priority in smokers through eye-tracking measures, by leveraging the established link between eye movements and spatial attention. We were interested, in particular, in potential markers related to pupil dilation, because pupil size reflects a range of autonomic, affective, and cognitive/attentional reactions to behaviorally significant stimuli and is a robust marker of appetitive and aversive learning. We found that, indeed, the pattern of pupil dilation and constriction to nicotine-related visual stimuli could reliably predict, in crossvalidated logistic regression, the smoking status of female and male smokers better than more traditional proxy measures based on response times or eye position. Pupil dilation was more sensitive at lower nicotine dependence levels, supporting previous claims that the incentive strength of conditioned stimuli gradually decreases and leaves space for a more automated, habit-driven processing mode. Additionally, it was more sensitive with increased abstinence time, suggesting that it may reflect craving levels. We conclude that pupillometry can provide a robust marker for attentional priority computation and provide useful indications regarding motivational states and the individual attitudes toward conditioned stimuli.