Neural and cognitive determinants of smoking addiction and cessation

More than a billion people worldwide smoke and at least half of them will eventually die from the consequences. Smoking addiction is supported in part by the rewarding effects of nicotine in the brain. This PhD research examined the neural and cognitive effects of a vaccine that would keep nicotine out of the brain. Active and former smokers are often tempted to smoke because their attention is drawn to smoking-associated cues in their environment. This dissertation describes the neural origins of this process and an intervention programme aimed at reducing automatic attention to smoking cues.