Basic science studies indicate that menthol can enhance the cognitive effects of nicotine to increase nicotine dependence; however, the effect of menthol and nicotine on cognitive functioning among humans has been understudied. This double-blind, placebo-controlled study examined the dose-dependent effects of inhaled menthol flavoring and intravenous nicotine on cognitive task performance. Twenty menthol (MS) and 18 non-menthol (NMS) cigarette preferring, young-adult smokers (21% female; 7.9% Hispanic, 44.7% Non-Hispanic/White, 47.4% Non-Hispanic/Black) completed three sessions with randomized order of menthol flavoring (between-sessions: 0.0%/tobacco control, 0.5%/low, 3.2%/high) and intravenous nicotine (within-session: 0.0 mg/saline control, 0.25 mg/low, 0.5 mg/high). After each administration, participants completed three cognitive tasks: Continuous Performance Task (CPT), Mathematical Processing Task (MPT), and Stroop Task. Mixed effects models were used to examine interactive effects of cigarette type preference and menthol and nicotine doses. MS vs. NMS had decreased accuracy on CPT and MPT and efficiency during Stroop. No significant effects of cigarette type preference by menthol or nicotine were found for any task. Significant effects of nicotine by menthol were found during Stroop, where participants had greater accuracy for high nicotine compared to saline during the low menthol session. Significant effects of menthol by timepoint were seen during Stroop, where participants improved across timepoints during the low menthol session. Findings did not support significant effects of inhaled menthol, alone or with nicotine, on cognitive performance. Further research clarifying the impact of varying menthol and nicotine levels in nicotine products may help to elucidate menthol’s role in smoking sustainment.

基础科学研究表明，薄荷醇可以增强尼古丁的认知作用，增加尼古丁依赖；然而，薄荷醇和尼古丁对人类认知功能的影响尚未得到充分研究。这项双盲、安慰剂对照研究检查了吸入薄荷醇调味剂和静脉注射尼古丁对认知任务表现的剂量依赖性影响。 20 名喜欢薄荷醇 (MS) 和 18 名不喜欢薄荷醇 (NMS) 香烟的年轻成年吸烟者（21% 为女性；7.9% 西班牙裔，44.7% 非西班牙裔/白人，47.4% 非西班牙裔/黑人）完成了 3 个随机疗程。薄荷醇调味剂（疗程间：0.0%/烟草对照、0.5%/低、3.2%/高）和静脉注射尼古丁（疗程内：0.0 mg/盐水对照、0.25 mg/低、0.5 mg/高）的顺序。每次给药后，参与者完成三项认知任务：连续表现任务（CPT）、数学处理任务（MPT）和斯特鲁普任务。混合效应模型用于检查卷烟类型偏好与薄荷醇和尼古丁剂量的交互作用。 MS 与 NMS 相比，CPT 和 MPT 的准确性以及 Stroop 期间的效率有所下降。对于任何任务，都没有发现薄荷醇或尼古丁对香烟类型偏好的显着影响。在斯特鲁普实验中发现了薄荷醇对尼古丁的显着影响，与低薄荷醇实验期间的生理盐水相比，参与者对高尼古丁的准确度更高。在 Stroop 期间，不同时间点的薄荷醇都有显着影响，参与者在低薄荷醇疗程期间的各个时间点都有所改善。研究结果并不支持单独吸入薄荷醇或与尼古丁一起吸入薄荷醇对认知能力有显着影响。 进一步研究阐明尼古丁产品中不同薄荷醇和尼古丁含量的影响可能有助于阐明薄荷醇在吸烟维持中的作用。