Research into neural mechanisms underlying cue-induced cigarette craving has attracted considerable attention for its significant role in treatments. However, there is little understanding about the effects of exposure to smoking-related cues on electroencephalogram (EEG) microstates of smokers, which can reflect abnormal brain network activity in several psychiatric disorders.

To explore whether abnormal brain network activity in smokers on exposure to smoking-related cues would be captured by EEG microstates.

Forty smokers were exposed to smoking and neutral imagery conditions (cues) during EEG recording. Behavioural data and parameters for microstate topographies associated with the auditory (A), visual (B), salience and memory (C) and dorsal attention networks (D) were compared between conditions. Correlations between microstate parameters and cigarette craving as well as nicotine addiction characteristics were also analysed.

The smoking condition elicited a significant increase in the duration of microstate classes B and C and in the duration and contribution of class D compared with the neutral condition. A significant positive correlation between the increased duration of class C (smoking minus neutral) and increased craving ratings was observed, which was fully mediated by increased posterior alpha power. The increased duration and contribution of class D were both positively correlated with years of smoking.

Our results indicate that smokers showed abnormal EEG microstates when exposed to smoking-related cues compared with neutral cues. Importantly, microstate class C (duration) might be a biomarker of cue-induced cigarette craving, and class D (duration and contribution) might reflect the relationship between cue-elicited activation of the dorsal attention network and years of smoking.