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 Nicotine
addiction leads to over 4 million smoking-related deaths a year,
making it the number one cause of preventable death in the world.
In light of this overwhelming statistic, researchers have attempted
to discover what it is about nicotine that makes it so addicting.
To study nicotine addiction and its associated behaviors, researchers
created a strain of mice that were extremely sensitive to the drug.
In order to do this, researchers used a "knock-in" technology
to alter one amino acid within the mice. Instead of eliminating
the response gene to nicotine (as they have in past studies), researchers
accentuated it, emphasizing the pleasure pathway of the drug.
Researchers were then able to study the behavior that results from
nicotine abuse and addiction. They observed that the mice demonstrated
addiction-related behaviors, even with the lowest doses of nicotine.
Such behaviors to the drug include:
- Reward
- Tolerance
- Sensitization
Because nicotine bears a molecular resemblance to acetylcholine,
a nerve chemical, it has the ability to bind to nicotinic receptors
on nerve cells. This binding process causes the nerve cells that
are holding the receptors to release a chemical (dopamine) involved
in the brain's pleasure/reward system.
Based on the findings from these studies, doctors agreed that the
best way to treat drug abuse and addiction is through prevention.
Science
Blog
November 11, 2004
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