Nicotine addiction

Genetic underpinnings of nicotine addiction

harminka — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:28:39 -0600

A new study from the Abramson Cancer Center and Department of Psychiatry in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine shows that smokers who carry a particular version of a gene for an enzyme that regulates dopamine in the brain may suffer from concentration problems and other cognitive deficits when abstaining from nicotine – a problem that puts them at risk for relapse during attempts to quit smoking.

US nicotine addiction reaches 15-year high

harminka — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:18:01 -0500

Nicotine dependence has reached a 15-year high, with nearly 75 percent of people currently seeking tobacco-dependence treatment categorized as highly nicotine dependent.

Do light cigarettes deliver less nicotine to brain

harminka — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:56:09 -0500

For decades now, cigarette makers have marketed so-called light cigarettes — which contain less nicotine than regular smokes — with the implication that they are less harmful to smokers' health. A new UCLA study shows, however, that they deliver nearly as much nicotine to the brain.

Why some smokers become addicted with their first cigarette

harminka — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:19:32 -0500

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.

Genetic variations put youth at risk for tobacco addiction

harminka — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:08:54 -0500

Common genetic variations affecting nicotine receptors in the nervous system can significantly increase the chance that European Americans who begin smoking by age 17 will struggle with lifelong nicotine addiction, according to researchers at the University of Utah and their colleagues at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Similarities found in opiate and nicotine addiction

harminka — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:02:12 -0600

This is what the brain says when people use tobacco, as well as ‘hard drugs’ such as heroin. New research published in the February 13 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience indicates that the effects of nicotine and opiates on the brain's reward system are equally strong in a key pleasure-sensing areas of the brain – the nucleus accumbens.

Nicotine keeps smokers awake at night

seher — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:22:56 -0600

It is not a slumber party getting a good night’s sleep if you are a smoker.

Nicotine addiction slashed in test of new cigarette smoking strategy

harminka — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 01:33:18 -0600

Scientists are reporting the first successful strategy to reduce smokers’ nicotine dependence while allowing them to continue smoking. The study provides strong support for proposals now being considered in Congress to authorize FDA regulation of cigarette smoking, according to the research team.

Initial reaction to nicotine can dictate addiction

harminka — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:24:30 -0500

Following up on studies that have indicated the speed with which adolescents can get hooked on cigarettes, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have conducted the first study to determine why some adolescents who try smoking get addicted while others do not.

New nicotine addiction research shows promise for personalized treatment

harminka — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:58:07 -0500

Whether a smoking-cessation drug will enable you to quit smoking may depend on your genes, according to new genotyping research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The study, published in the September issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry, found that the enzyme known to metabolize both the smoking cessation drug bupropion and nicotine is highly genetically variable in all ethnicities and influences smoking cessation.

Two Nicotine Addiction Puzzles Explained

harminka — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 03:23:04 -0500

The stranglehold of nicotine addiction leads to more than four million smoking-related deaths each year. Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have now explained two roots of that addiction. The discoveries may offer new hope not just for smokers, but eventually also for sufferers of Parkinson's disease, a debilitating movement disorder that affects some 40 million people worldwide.

Twins Study connects smoking addiction with major depression

harminka — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 03:16:16 -0500

Ever wonder why smoking and depression seem to go together" A Saint Louis University School of Public Health researcher finds the connection is genetic.