 |
|
Study suggests nicotine addiction might be controlled by influencing brain mechanisms
December 10, 2007There is a clear link between GABA - a chemical substance of the central nervous system that inhibits neurons in the brain - and nicotine dependence, according to a study presented today at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting. Researchers discovered that nicotine has significant effects on brain GABA, a finding which could potentially help curb the pleasurable effects of nicotine and help people break their addiction to it.
"We found that GABA may provide a very useful target for nicotine addiction therapies," said Graeme Mason, Ph.D., associate professor in the Magnetic Resonance Research Center in the Departments of Diagnostic Radiology and Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine and an ACNP member. "GABA is just one of a complex network of actors that promotes addiction, and we're hoping that this research will ultimately lead us to ways to help people quit smoking."
Mason sought to discover whether the enjoyable effects associated with smoking could be reduced in some way. When people use nicotine they may experience a sensation of reward, diminished anxiety, or a belief that they can focus more clearly or learn more easily. Researchers wanted to explore how a specific type of neuron that releases dopamine, a chemical that has been associated with pleasure, can prolong and intensify the pleasurable effects of nicotine. Although GABA inhibits those neurons, nicotine works against the ability of GABA to inhibit dopamine neurons after about 20 minutes, so the gratifying effects of nicotine are prolonged.
Researchers gave people who smoked regularly nicotine inhalers that deliver the same amount of the drug as in one cigarette. The amount of GABA in the subjects' brains rose about 10%, but the brain was found to make GABA four times faster after using the inhalers, and the rate of new GABA generation remained high for at least 45 minutes. In other words, keeping the supply of GABA levels high has the potential to reduce the pleasurable effects of smoking, in terms of duration and intensity.
"While GABA is probably not the root of nicotine addiction, it is part of a complex network of actors that are involved in addiction," Mason says.
Another study presented at the ACNP annual meeting which explored the role of GABA, genetics and environmental factors in smoking found that tobacco addiction is at least 50% determined by genetics. For this reason, researchers may be able to identify individuals who are vulnerable to nicotine dependence, and then implement prevention strategies accordingly.
For this study, Ming Li, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics in Psychiatry and Neurosciences at the University of Virginia recruited more than 2000 participants representing more than 600 families of smokers. They examined different regions on various chromosomes that showed linkage to nicotine addiction. Then they searched for susceptibility genes within these regions that appear to be associated with addiction. Some of these are the GABA-B receptor subunit 2 (GABAB2) gene on chromosome 9, and the GABA-A receptor-associated protein (GABARAP) gene on chromosome 17.
Li says the research could have significant public health implications because it could help curb smoking rates since researchers may be able to predict who is more prone to nicotine addiction. Tobacco is one of the most widely used substances; it kills more than 435,000 Americans each year, and despite increasing public awareness of the health risks associated with its use, little reduction in smoking prevalence has been achieved nationwide in recent years.
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Researchers gave people who smoked regularly nicotine inhalers that deliver the same amount of the drug as in one cigarette. The amount of GABA in the subjects' brains rose about 10%, but the brain was found to make GABA four times faster after using the inhalers, and the rate of new GABA generation remained high for at least 45 minutes. In other words, keeping the supply of GABA levels high has the potential to reduce the pleasurable effects of smoking, in terms of duration and intensity.
"While GABA is probably not the root of nicotine addiction, it is part of a complex network of actors that are involved in addiction," Mason says.
Another study presented at the ACNP annual meeting which explored the role of GABA, genetics and environmental factors in smoking found that tobacco addiction is at least 50% determined by genetics. For this reason, researchers may be able to identify individuals who are vulnerable to nicotine dependence, and then implement prevention strategies accordingly.
For this study, Ming Li, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics in Psychiatry and Neurosciences at the University of Virginia recruited more than 2000 participants representing more than 600 families of smokers. They examined different regions on various chromosomes that showed linkage to nicotine addiction. Then they searched for susceptibility genes within these regions that appear to be associated with addiction. Some of these are the GABA-B receptor subunit 2 (GABAB2) gene on chromosome 9, and the GABA-A receptor-associated protein (GABARAP) gene on chromosome 17.
Li says the research could have significant public health implications because it could help curb smoking rates since researchers may be able to predict who is more prone to nicotine addiction. Tobacco is one of the most widely used substances; it kills more than 435,000 Americans each year, and despite increasing public awareness of the health risks associated with its use, little reduction in smoking prevalence has been achieved nationwide in recent years.
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Nicotine Addiction Current Events and Nicotine Addiction News RSSADHD appears to increase level of nicotine dependence in smokers
Young people with ADHD are not only at increased risk of starting to smoke cigarettes, they also tend to become more seriously addicted to tobacco and more vulnerable to environmental factors such as having friends or parents who smoke, according to a study from Massachusetts General Hospital reseachers.
Caltech scientists engineer supersensitive receptor, gain better understanding of dopamine system
Genetically modifying a receptor found on the neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine has given California Institute of Technology (Caltech) researchers a unique glimpse into the workings of the brain's dopamine system--as well as a new target for treating diseases that result from either too much or too little of this critical neurotransmitter.
K-State professor's research suggests that cigarettes' power may not be in nicotine itself
There may be a very good reason why coffee and cigarettes often seem to go hand in hand.
If your first cigarette gave you a buzz and you now smoke, a gene may be to blame
Anyone who has ever tried smoking probably remembers that first cigarette vividly. For some, it brought a wave of nausea or a nasty coughing fit. For others, those first puffs also came with a rush of pleasure or "buzz."
Research reveals why some smokers become addicted with their first cigarette
New research from The University of Western Ontario reveals how the brain processes the 'rewarding' and addictive properties of nicotine, providing a better understanding of why some people seemingly become hooked with their first smoke.
Understanding teen attitudes critical to quit message
Teen attitudes to smoking need to be re-examined if anti-smoking health campaigns are to be effective, according to Hunter researchers.
New studies on cancer and schizophrenia, depression and heart disease, trauma and autism
The 2007 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Meeting will feature hundreds of new studies on brain and behavior from the world's leading scientists. Presentations include innovative research on potential new treatments for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism and addiction.
Survey identifies characteristics of teens who smoke marijuana but not tobacco
A Swiss study suggests that teens who use only cannabis appear to function better than those who also use tobacco, and are more socially driven and have no more psychosocial problems than those who abstain from both substances.
Scripps research study reveals mechanism behind nicotine dependency
The new study reveals that, in rats, chronic nicotine use recruits a major brain stress system, the extrahypothalamic corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) system, which contributes to continued tobacco use by exacerbating anxiety and craving upon withdrawal. The researchers found that administering a compound that blocked the receptors involved in this stress system alleviated withdrawal symptoms.
It's in their genes: Study of twins connects smoking addiction with major depression
Ever wonder why smoking and depression seem to go together" A Saint Louis University School of Public Health researcher finds the connection is genetic.
More Nicotine Addiction Current Events and Nicotine Addiction News Articles
 | Understanding Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction (Novartis Foundation Symposia) by Novartis Foundation Cigarette smoking is estimated to lead to 4.9 million premature deaths per year worldwide. This is predicted to rise to 10 million by 2020. In western countries it kills half of all smokers who fail to stop. The prevailing model for tobacco addiction is that nicotine from cigarettes rewards smoking and punishes abstinence, tapping into a motivational system of operant conditioning that... |
| Health Consequences of Smoking: Nicotine Addiction a Report of the Surgeon General 1988 by C. Everett, M.D. Koop | |
 | Hooked but Not Helpless: Kicking Nicotine Addiction by Patricia Allison, Jack Yost This book treats smoking as a real addiction and not just a bad habit. It teaches smokers who want to quit how to work through their drug dependency step by step and equips them with an arsenal of self-defense skills to disarm their most intense cravings and begin to retrain their minds. Inspiring stories from nine ex-smokers tell how they struggled through withdrawal, learned to face new... |
 | This is Nicotine (Addiction) by Karen Farrington In this powerful and illuminating new series, a team of journalists was commissioned to analyze and comment on the major substances that are seen by society as addictive and ultimately bad for our... |
 | Manual of Smoking Cessation: A Guide for Counsellors and Practitioners (Addiction Press ) by Andy McEwen, Peter Hajek, Hayden McRobbie, Robert West Manual of Smoking Cessation provides the crucial knowledge required if you are involved in helping smokers to stop. The manual provides facts, figures, suggested interventions and sources of further information to assist in providing evidence-based treatment for smokers wishing to stop. This manual covers the core content areas and key learning outcomes described in the Standard for Training in... |
 | Nicotine Addiction Among Adolescents Catch up with current theories on a major public health menace! Adolescent smoking has increasingly become a concern as a public health issue, yet the theoretical and empirical literature in the area remains skimpy. Nicotine Addiction Among Adolescents furnishes researchers and medical professionals with a comprehensive overview of current theories and statistics. Moreover, it offers fresh... |
 | How to Stop Smoking - Winning Strategies for Breaking the Tobacco Habit and Overcoming Your Nicotine Addiction by Dr. Roger Aveyard How to Stop Smoking - Winning Strategies for Breaking the Tobacco Habit and Overcoming Your Nicotine Addiction! This book will give you a proven strategy for quitting the cigarette habit and overcoming nicotine addiction with powerful, step-by-step, workable tools. The author has experienced the struggle of smoking, the agony associated with the habit, and an unrelenting desire to learn how to... |
 | Growing Up Tobacco Free: Preventing Nicotine Addiction in Children and Youths by Committee on Preventing Nicotine Addiction in Children and Youths, Institute of Medicine This book explains nicotine's effects and the process of addiction; summarizes data on smoking trends among young people; looks at the search for an effective approach to preventing the use of cigarettes, chewing and spitting tobacco, and snuff by children and... |
 | Free Yourself from Smoking: A 3-Point Plan to Kill Nicotine Addiction by Kristina Ivings This new, clinically proven approach shows that freeing yourself from smoking can even be enjoyable. Outlining a "three-pronged" attack, its chapters tackle physical addiction to nicotine, psychological dependence, and the roots of the habit itself. With quick, painless, and permanent methods, this is the only stop-smoking book you'll ever... |
 | A Critique of Nicotine Addiction (Neurobiological Foundation of Aberrant Behaviors) by Hanan Frenk PhD Tel Aviv Univ., Israel. Critique of the nicotine addiction hypothesis, based on a critical review of the research literature that purports to prove that nicotine is an addictive drug. Based on a review of more than 700 articles and books on the... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |