Different effects were noted with manipulation of the menthol content of cigarettes smoked during the 2-week treatment depending on whether participants were habitual menthol (n = 7) or nonmenthol (n = 17) cigarette smokers. In menthol smokers who were switched to nonmenthol cigarettes (removing the menthol references cue) for the 2-week period, extinction of reward ratings for their usual menthol brand test cigarette did not occur. On the other hand, nonmenthol cigarette smokers who were switched to menthol cigarettes (menthol cue) for the 2-week period showed progress of extinction of nonmenthol cigarette cues in their test cigarette. Authors noted that changing the menthol cigarette cue had a significant influence on reward ratings and suggests that menthol is a major component of the conditioned reward.

Taste-altering effects of food and beverage on cigarette palatability were assessed in cigarette smokers (N = 209) with 46.8% smoking mentholated cigarettes (McClernon, Westman, Rose, & Lutz, 2007). Forty-five percent of participants identified fruits and vegetables, dairy beverages, and dairy food products as worsening the taste of cigarettes, while 69% reported caffeinated and alcoholic beverages and meat as enhancing the taste of cigarettes. Interestingly, a lesser likelihood of reporting taste worsening or enhancement with food or beverages occurred among mentholated cigarette smokers. Authors proposed that menthol may enhance dependence in these smokers by ��evening out�� their smoking experience. Future laboratory-based experiments could build on these qualitative data.

In summary, the reinforcing sensory effects of menthol cigarettes have been examined from multiple perspectives. Descriptions of positive early smoking experiences with menthol cigarettes suggest that menthol cigarettes may facilitate smoking initiation. The taste of menthol in cigarettes may serve as a reinforcer of smoking behavior as ��taste�� was expressed overwhelmingly as the reason for smoking this type of cigarette among Black focus group participants. Menthol appears to increase the rewarding or reinforcing effects of nicotine, thus possibly increasing the likelihood of becoming dependent on nicotine. The following sections will describe the impact of menthol’s sensory effects on measures of nicotine dependence, including the Fagerstr?m Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), smoking behaviors such as the FTND ��time-to-first�� cigarette, and smoking cessation.

Menthol Cigarettes and Measures of Nicotine Addiction The FTND and the FTND time-to-first cigarette (TTF) items are commonly used measures in the assessment of nicotine dependence (Heatherton, Kozlowski, Frecker, Rickert, & Robinson, 1989). While not all conclusive, Cilengitide the majority of studies reviewed below that have used these measures have shown a relationship between menthol cigarette use and nicotine dependence.