Yazead Buhidma

• BSc (Hons) Pharmacology
• Treating cognitive deficits associated with nicotine withdrawal in rats

Tobacco smokers find it difficult to quit smoking and have expressed cognitive impairments may be a reason why they find it hard to quit which results in high relapse rates. The project investigated the clinically-effective smoking cessation aid, varenicline (Champix TM) and nicotine replacement therapy for their ability to restore deficits in cognitive flexibility as measured in a probabilistic reversal learning task. Rats exhibited time-dependent deficits following removal of an osmotic mini-pump that delivered nicotine for 7 days. Treatment with varenicline or nicotine restored the impaired cognition, suggesting that smokers may be seeking cognitive remediation in addition to the satisfaction they normally report.

Funding source: Newcastle University