Neuroethics Publications
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
3-2015
Publication Source
Addiction Biology
Volume
20
Issue
2
Start Page
368
Last Page
378
DOI
10.1111/adb.12117
Abstract
There is an ongoing public debate about the new graphic warning labels (GWLs) that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposes to place on cigarette packs. Tobacco companies argued that the strongly emotional images FDA proposed to include in the GWLs encroached on their constitutional rights. The court ruled that FDA did not provide sufficient scientific evidence of compelling public interest in such encroachment. This study's objectives were to examine the effects of the GWLs on the electrophysiological and behavioral correlates of smoking addiction and to determine whether labels rated higher on the emotional reaction (ER) scale are associated with greater effects. We studied 25 non-treatment-seeking smokers. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while participants viewed a random sequence of paired images, in which visual smoking (Cues) or non-smoking (non-Cues) images were preceded by GWLs or neutral images. Participants reported their cigarette craving after viewing each pair. Dependent variables were magnitude of P300 ERPs and self-reported cigarette craving in response to Cues. We found that subjective craving response to Cues was significantly reduced by preceding GWLs, whereas the P300 amplitude response to Cues was reduced only by preceding GWLs rated high on the ER scale. In conclusion, our study provides experimental neuroscience evidence that weighs in on the ongoing public and legal debate about how to balance the constitutional and public health aspects of the FDA-proposed GWLs. The high toll of smoking-related illness and death adds urgency to the debate and prompts consideration of our findings while longitudinal studies of GWLs are underway.
Copyright/Permission Statement
This is the peer reviewed version of the article which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/adb.12117. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving (http://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-820227.html#terms).
Keywords
attentional bias, cigarette craving, event-related potentials, graphic cigarette warning labels, P300, tobacco control policy
Recommended Citation
Wang, A., Romer, D., Elman, I., Turetsky, B. I., Gur, R., & Langleben, D. D. (2015). Emotional Graphic Cigarette Warning Labels Reduce the Electrophysiological Brain Response to Smoking Cues. Addiction Biology, 20 (2), 368-378. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/adb.12117
Included in
Bioethics and Medical Ethics Commons, Food and Drug Law Commons, Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons, Neurosciences Commons, Substance Abuse and Addiction Commons
Date Posted: 08 July 2015
This document has been peer reviewed.