Enhanced smoking cue salience associated with depression severity in nicotine-dependent individuals: a preliminary fMRI study.

The association between cigarette smoking and depression has been well documented; however, little research has been done to elucidate the neurobiological substrates of this highly prevalent comorbidity. We used multiple linear regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between depression severity as assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses to visual smoking cues in drug-free nicotine-dependent smokers (n=18). Two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans were completed over a single study day, following overnight smoking abstinence (pre-smoking scan) and after cigarette reinstatement (post-smoking scan).