Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T21:21:49.328Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Smoking-related prospective memory deficits observed on naturalistic everyday memory task

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2013

T. M. Heffernan ,
T. S. O'Neill  and
M. Moss
T. M. Heffernan*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Collaboration for Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR), Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
T. S. O'Neill
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Collaboration for Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR), Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
M. Moss
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Collaboration for Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR), Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: T. M. Heffernan, Department of Psychology, Collaboration for Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR), Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK. (Email tom.heffernan@northumbria.ac.uk)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

This study assessed self-reported and objective prospective memory (PM) processes in smokers and a never-smoked comparison group. If persistent smoking does impair PM, then one would expect smokers recall being lower on a study that requires them to remember everyday activities when compared with a never-smoked group.

Method

An existing-groups design was used to compare a group of smokers with a never-smoked group on the self-report Prospective Memory Questionnaire (PMQ) and the Prospective Remembering Video Procedure (PRVP) measuring objective PM. An example of the location–action combination from the PRVP is ‘At Thornton's shop’ (location), ‘Buy a bag of sweets’ (action). Participants who reported using an illegal substance (e.g. ecstasy, cannabis), who drank excessively or were ‘binge drinkers’, or who reported suffering from a clinical condition, such as depression, were excluded from the study. Age, weekly ‘safe levels’ alcohol use, and strategy use were also measured and controlled for in the study. Each person was tested individually in a quiet laboratory setting on a university campus.

Results

After controlling for variations in age, weekly alcohol use, and strategy use, smokers recalled significantly fewer location–action combinations on the PRVP when compared with a never-smoked group, with no between-group differences on self-reported PM as measured by the PMQ.

Conclusions

The findings suggest objective PM deficits are associated with persistent smoking – a relatively unexplored area of research. This cannot be attributed to other drug use, mood, or strategy use. The findings also suggest smokers lack self-awareness of such PM deficits. This study extends the area by utilising a more naturalistic object measure of PM and incorporating strict controls into the study.

Keywords

PMQprospective memoryPRVPsmoking
Type
Original Research
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , March 2013 , pp. 21 - 27
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bacher, I, Rabin, R, Woznica, BA, Sacco, KA, George, TP (2010). Nicotinic receptor mechanisms in neuropsychiatric disorders: therapeutic implications. Prim Psychiatry 17, 35–41.Google Scholar
Bartholomew, J, Holroyd, S, Heffernan, TM (2010). Does cannabis use affect prospective memory in young adults? Journal of Psychopharmacology 24, 241–246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brandimonte, M, Einstein, GO, McDaniel, MA (editors) (1996). Prospective Memory: Theory and Applications. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: USA.Google Scholar
Brega, AG, Grigsby, J, Kooken, R, Hamman, RF, Baxter, J (2008). The impact of executive cognitive functioning on rates of smoking cessation in the San Luis Valley Health and Aging Study. Age Ageing 37, 521–525.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cabinet Office Strategy Unit (2004). Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England. Cabinet Office Strategy Unit: London.Google Scholar
Cervilla, JA, Prince, M, Mann, A (2000). Smoking, drinking and cognitive impairment: a cohort study included in the Gospel Oak project. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 68, 622–626.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ernst, M, Heishman, SJ, Spurgeon, L, London, ES (2001). Smoking history and nicotine effects on cognitive performance. Neuropsychopharmacology 25, 313–390.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Farrimond, S, Knight, RG, Titov, N (2006). The effects of aging on remembering intentions: performance on a simulated shopping task. Applied Cognitive Psychology 20, 533–555.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fried, PA, Watkinson, B, Gray, R (2006). Neurocognitive consequences of cigarette smoking in young adults – a comparison with pre-drug performance. Neurotoxicology Teratology 28, 517–525.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ghosh, D, Mishra, MK, Das, S, Kaushil, DK, Basu, A (2009). Tobacco carcinogen induces microglial activation and subsequent neuronal damage. Journal of Neurochemistry 110, 1070–1081.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hannon, R, Adams, P, Harrington, S, Fries-Dias, C, Gibson, MT (1995). Effects of brain injury and age on prospective memory self-rating and performance. Rehabilitation Psychology 40, 289–297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heffernan, TM, O'Neill, T, Moss, M (2010). Smoking and everyday prospective memory: a comparison of self-report and objective methodologies. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 112, 234–238.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heffernan, TM, Clark, R, Bartholomew, J, Ling, J (2010). Does binge drinking in teenagers affect their everyday prospective memory? Drug and Alcohol Dependence 109, 73–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heffernan, TM, Ling, J, Parrott, AC, Buchanan, T, Scholey, AB, Rodgers, J (2005). Self-rated everyday and prospective memory abilities of cigarette smokers and non smokers: a web-based study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 78, 235–241.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, RD, Backman, L, Neely, AS (editors) (2000). Cognitive Rehabilitation in All Ages. Oxford University Press: New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, JR, Hatsukami, D (1986). Signs and symptoms of tobacco withdrawal. Archives of General Psychiatry 43, 289–294.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jacobson, JL, Krystal, JH, Mencl, WE, Westervel, M, Frost, SJ, Pugh, KR (2005). Acute and chronic effects of smoking on adolescent smokers. Biological Psychiatry 57, 56–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalmijn, S, van Botel, MPJ, Verschuren, MWM, Jolles, J, Launer, LJ (2002). Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption in relation to cognitive performance in middle age. American Journal of Epidemiology 156, 936–944.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kliegel, M, Jager, T, Altgassen, M, Shum, D (2008). Clinical neuropsychology of prospective memory. In Prospective Memory: Cognitive, Neuroscience and Developmental Perspectives (ed. M. Kliegel, M. A. McDaniel and G. O. Einstein), pp. 283–286. Erlbaum: Mahwah, NJ.Google Scholar
Mangan, GL, Golding, JF (1995). The effects of smoking on memory consolidation. Journal of Psychology 115, 65–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mannino, DM, Buist, AS (2007). Global burden of COPD: risk factors prevalence, and future trends. Lancet 370, 765–773.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDaniel, MA, Einstein, GO (editors) (2007). Prospective Memory: An Overview and Synthesis of an Emerging Field. Sage: UK.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Office for National Statistics (2003). Statistics on Alcohol: England 2003. London: Department of Health (http://crawl04.archive.org/ukgov/20031117034005/www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0320.pdf). Accessed 30 June 2011.Google Scholar
Parrott, AC, Milani, RM, Parmar, R, Turner, JJD (2001). Recreational ecstasy/MDMA and other drug users form the UK and Italy: psychiatric symptoms and psychobiological problems. Psychopharmacology 159, 77–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parrott, AC, Morinan, A, Moss, M, Scholey, A (2004). Understanding Drugs and Behaviour. Wiley: Chichester.Google Scholar
Pineda, JA, Herrera, C, Kang, C, Sandler, A (1998). Effects of cigarette smoking and 12hr abstention on working memory during a serial probe recognition task. Psychopharmacology 139, 311–321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richards, M, Jarvis, MJ, Thompson, N, Wadsworth, MEJ (2003). Cigarette smoking and cognitive decline in midlife, evidence from a prospective birth cohort. American Journal of Public Health 93, 994–998.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rodgers, J, Buchanan, T, Scholey, AB, Heffernan, TM, Ling, J, Parrott, AB (2011). Prospective memory: the influence of ecstasy, cannabis and nicotine use and the WWW. Open Addiction Journal 4, 44–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rose, FD, Brooks, BM, Rizzo, AA (2005). Virtual reality in brain damaged patients: a review. Cyberpsychology & Behavior 8, 241–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rusted, J, Trawley, S (2006). Comparable effects of nicotine in smokers and non-smokers on a prospective memory task. Neuropsychopharmacology 31, 1545–1549.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rusted, J, Ruest, T, Gray, MA (2011). Acute effects of nicotine administration during prospective memory, an event related fMRI study. Neuropsychologia 49, 2362–2368.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rusted, JM, Graupner, L, Tennent, A, Warburton, DM (1998). Effortful processing is a requirement for nicotine-induced improvements in memory. Psychopharmacology 138, 362–368.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rusted, J, Trawley, S, Heath, J, Kettle, G, Walker, H (2005). Nicotine improves memory for delayed intentions. Psychopharmacology 182, 355–365.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rusted, J, Sawyer, R, Jones, C, Trawley, S, Marchant, N (2009). Positive effects of nicotine on cognition: the deployment of attention for prospective memory. Psychopharmacology 202, 93–102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sabia, S, Marmot, M, Dufoil, C, Singh-Manoux, A (2008). Smoking history and cognitive function in middle age from the Whitehall II study. Archives of Internal Medicine 168, 1165–1173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sakurai, Y, Kanazawa, I (2002). Acute effects of cigarettes in non-deprived smokers on memory, calculation and executive functions. Human Psychopharmacology 17, 369–373.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Simons, JS, Scholvinck, ML, Gilbert, SJ, Frith, CD, Burgess, PW (2006). Differential components of prospective memory? Evidence from fMRI. Neuropsychologia 44, 1388–1397.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Whalley, LJ, Fox, HC, Deary, IJ, Starr, JM (2005). Childhood IQ, smoking, and cognitive change from age 11 to 64 years. Addictive Behaviors 30, 77–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, BA, Emslie, H, Foley, J, Shiel, A, Watson, P, Hawkins, K, Groot, Y, Evans, JJ (2005). The Cambridge Prospective Memory Test. Harcourt-Assessment: London.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2008). Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic. World Health Organization: UK.Google Scholar