Performance, subjective, and physiological effects of nicotine in non-smokers

Sixteen human volunteers with little or no experience using tobacco participated in one 4.5-h experimental session in which they were administered three doses of nicotine polacrilex gum (0, 2 and 4 mg) in ascending order at 90-min intervals. Physiological, subjective, and cognitive performance measures were assessed before and after each dose. Nicotine produced dose-related increases in heart rate and blood pressure and decreases in skin temperature. Nicotine also increased subjective ratings of dose strength and negative effects and decreased ratings of desire to repeat the same dose. There were dose-related trends toward decreased accuracy and increased response time on 3 of the 4 cognitive tests. These data do not support the hypothesis that nicotine enhances cognitive functioning in non-smokers.