Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Creating Dynamic Images of Short-lived Dopamine Fluctuations with lp-ntPET: Dopamine Movies of Cigarette Smoking
Published on: August 6, 2013
Perceived drug assignment and treatment outcome in smokers given nicotine patch therapy
Steffani R Bailey1, Dalea M Fong, Susan W Bryson
1Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1334, USA. stbailey@stanford.edu
None:
This study assessed the relationship between treatment outcome and perceived drug assignment in smokers (nicotine patch [NP] or placebo) using abstinence and relapse status. Smokers (N = 424) were randomly assigned to receive either NP or placebo as part of a study that examined the effects of combining NP with self-help programs. Beliefs about drug assignment, assessed at the 12-month follow-up, were obtained from 384 participants. Beliefs were related to abstinence at the 2-month, p < .05, and 6-month follow-ups, p < .05, for the NP group, but not the placebo. Beliefs were not related to abstinence at 12 months for either group. Survival analysis assessing relapse revealed that beliefs were related to relapse status, regardless of actual group assignment. Our results suggest that there is a relationship between perceived drug assignment and treatment outcome. Future studies using multiple treatment outcome measures and assessments of beliefs over time are warranted.
Related Concept Videos
Drugs Acting on Autonomic Ganglia: Stimulants
Ganglionic stimulants activate NM nicotinic receptors in autonomic ganglia, falling into two categories: nicotine mimetics [e.g., lobeline, dimethylpiperazine, tetramethylammonium] and muscarinic receptor agonists [e.g., muscarine, methacholine]. The first category's action is rapid and blocked by nicotinic receptor antagonists, while the second category's action is delayed and blocked by atropine-like agents. Nicotine, an alkaloid, affects the heart rate by stimulating sympathetic or...
The Placebo Effect
Drug Dependence
Drug-Receptor Interaction: Agonist
Agonists can bind to receptors in different ways. Some agonists bind directly to the receptor's active site, mimicking the endogenous ligand's action.
Drug Therapy
Antianxiety Medications
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Prostacyclin Receptor Agonists
These agonists bind to the IPR receptor situated on the plasma membrane of the pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. This binding triggers a cascade of reactions known as the GS-AC-cAMP-PKA pathway. This pathway results in the relaxation of smooth muscle...
