The goal of this study was to examine systematically the contribution of FKBP5 to the acute and chronic behavioral effects of nicotine in smokers, starting with a laboratory paradigm. We included European American (EA) and African American (AA) heavy smokers. The behavioral outcomes studied were nicotine withdrawal severity and the acute subjective, heart rate, blood pressure and plasma cortisol responses to IV nicotine. In addition, the effect of FKBP5 variation on nicotine withdrawal severity was examined separately in a large cohort of EA and AA current smokers who participated in genetic studies of substance dependence.
