Nicotine

1
Nicotine

• Holley Williamson
• and
• Rachel Martinez

2
Addiction

• Chewed, Smoked, or Inhaled
• Absorbed within 7 Seconds of inhalation
• Nicotine molecule shaped like a neurotransmitter
  called acetylcholine - involved in many
  functions, including muscle movement, breathing,
  heart rate, learning, and memory
• Instant kick
• Release of glucose and endorphins, spike in
  pleasure center (dopamine) then downhill,
  leading to need for more fatigue, irritability,
  aggression and even depression
• Withdrawal Symptoms a study

3
Depressant or Stimulant?

• Actually, its a stimulant
• Inhibits another inhibitor in the brain
• Induces a panic sensation from the body, but also
  a rush of dopamine, so it feels relaxing

4
Why Smoke?

• Social Influences
• Peer pressure
• Learned coping mechanism
• Image
• Ignorance
• Its hard to quit because all these factors
  interact with the physiological effects as well

5
Recent Research (NIDA)

• Nicotine increases levels of dopamine much like
  Cocaine, Marijuana, and Heroin, but researchers
  have found a key receptor component that is
  critical in nicotine addiction.
• Other research has shown that the genetic variant
  that decreases the function of the enzyme CYP2A6
  can help a person prevent nicotine addiction.
• This is leading to new treatment capabilities,
  including research on a nicotine vaccine and
  pharmaceuticals that block the pleasurable aspect
  of nicotine.
• Another recent discovery is that the pleasure
  center shows significant decreased sensitivity
  during nicotine withdrawal, which helps with the
  understanding of why it may be so difficult for
  long term smokers to quit.

6
Nicotine as Medicine?

• Research shows that nicotine may produce positive
  effects on ability to pay attention in ADHD
  adolescents. It works much like the other
  dopaminergic medications used to treat ADHD Thus
  tobacco use in adolescents may serve as a form of
  self-selected medication to improve some of the
  cognitive difficulties that go along with ADHD.
• Other research that focuses on nicotine as
  medicineinvolves the cognitive functions of pre
  and early Alzheimers patients. For example, from
  Duke University Stimulation of nicotinic
  receptors with nicotine or and/or novel nicotinic
  agonists reliably improves certain aspects of
  attentional and memory functioning in both normal
  individuals, patients with ADHD, schizophrenia,
  patients with Alzheimer's disease, and in our
  preliminary studies, MCI patients.
  (http//www.dukemednews.org)

7
Nicotine Treatment

• Behavioral therapy has been found effective in
  some smokers replacing nicotine with other
  rewards can help some people quit smoking.
• Nicotine chewing gum or transdermal patches may
  also help some quit smoking, with a gradual
  reduction of nicotine levels during the quitting
  period.
• New smoking cessation products including
  pharmaceuticals that target the receptors in the
  brain are undergoing research and some are
  starting to go on the market, including the drug
  Zyban which helps control cravings.
• In fact, a new vaccine that prevents nicotine
  from reaching the brains of rats may offer hope
  for smokers trying to break their addiction. The
  compound, called NicVAX, may even prove useful as
  an inoculation against nicotine addiction. It
  works by reducing the levels of nicotine in the
  brain through nicotine antibodies, and prevents
  the nicotine from reaching the receptors, which
  reduces the pleasurable effects that are so
  addictive. (http//www.drugabuse.gov)
• With the current treatments, rates of relapse are
  the highest within the first 3 weeks of quitting,
  and significantly drop after 3 months.