Methodological considerations in nicotine research: the use of "denicotinised" cigarettes as the control condition in smoking studies.

In this study, we report on the comparability of the subjective experience and smoking style elicited by two commercially available cigarettes which differ in nicotine levels, one containing a 'regular' delivery of 0.7 mg and the other containing minimal (0.1 mg) nicotine. Our findings suggest subtle differences in the smoking of these two cigarettes, with the 'denicotinised' cigarette being smoked for longer and with more puffs taken. While these subtle differences have little significance for studies concerned with the effects of nicotine on cognitive performance measures, they are certainly important for studies concerned with the role of nicotine in maintaining smoking behaviour.