The Effects of Tobacco Smoking on the Short, Middle, and Long Latency Responses of the Blink Reflex in Humans

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Abstract
The three responses (R1, R2, and R3) of the electrically elicited blink reflex (BR) obtained in four normal human subjects were investigated before and after smoking both a filtered and an unfiltered cigarette. The changes observed in the BR were stronger and statistically more significant for the unfiltered than for the filtered cigarette, (p < 0.0001) and mere more dramatic in R3 than R1 or R2. The action of nicotine on central pathways located at the interneuronal network of the brainstem, basal ganglia, and C fiber structures involved with this reflex seems to be the most likely mechanism for these findings.