Biofeedback: A possible substitute for smoking, experiment I.

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Abstract

Biofeedback techniques were utilized in this study to identify those physiological variables which possibly contribute to maintenance of cigarette smoking and to investigate the hypothesis that smoking frequency would decrease when individuals were trained via biofeedback procedures to increase 8–12 Hz occipital EEG activity as a substitute for smoking. Results of the study indicate that of the six smokers physiologically monitored, the following physiological changes occured while actually smoking one cigarette: four smokers increased the percent of time they were producing 4–8 cycle per second (Hz) brain waves; five smokers increased their heart rate (beats per minute); all six smokers decreased their 8–12 Hz activity. Immediately after the smoking of one cigarette, six of the smokers demonstrated an increase in their heart rate and four of the smokers demonstrated a decrease in their skin temperature. There did not appear to be any specific consistent brain wave change across the subjects. Two smokers, who were able to continue producing high levels of 8–12 Hz activity without use of the biofeedback equipment, were able to quit completely at the end of an eight-month follow- up period.

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    Citation Excerpt :

    The deactivation of smoking-elicited EEG patterns was targeted rewarding participants whose response to smoking stimuli converged to that of neutral stimuli. Griffith and Crossman (1983) mentioned that occipital alpha upregulation was provided as substitute for smoking without explaining the underlying rationale for choosing this protocol. In rtfMRI studies craving-related brain regions were reported, citing overlapping groups of studies, in order to form the concept of their designs.

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This study was conducted with funds furnished by the Utah Lung Association and the use of the Exceptional Child Center Biofeedback equipment.

The authors wish to thank Mark Schaefer, Ray Reitz, Fred Browning, and John Zukin for their assistance in the collecting of the data. We would also like to thank Dr. Sebastian Striefel, Dr. Marvin Fifield, Dr. Glenon Casto, Dr. Michael Bertoch, Dr. Richard Powers, and Dr. Glen Latham for their support and positive critique.

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