Individual differences in the response to nicotine and non-nicotine components of smoking: implications for smoking cessation treatment outcomes

Although evidence suggests that most adult smokers are motivated to quit, the majority of quit attempts fail, even when assistance is sought and current best practice treatments are utilised. Many tobacco cessation programs routinely use NRTs as a primary means of aiding cessation. The use of NRTs has been shown to increase overall quit rates, but smokers vary considerably in their responses to NRTs and in the majority of cases NRTs do not prevent relapse to smoking. Although nicotine is widely regarded as the primary addictive component in tobacco smoke, a growing body of evidence suggests that non-nicotine factors may also contribute to tobacco¿s addictive properties. Interestingly, a number of recent investigations suggest that the use of denicotinized tobacco may reduce certain symptoms of tobacco withdrawal and dependence. As with NRTs, however, there appears to be considerable variability in smokers¿ responses to denicotinized tobacco. Such findings suggest that there may be differences among smokers in the degree to which nicotine and non-nicotine factors contribute to their addiction to tobacco. In the proposed research we seek to determine how various individual differences (personality, genetic, cognitive, tobacco-use related factors) are associated with smokers' responses to nicotine and non-nicotine tobacco components as well as how these are associated with treatment response to NRTs.