BIOLOGY BEHIND ALCOHOLISM

GLUTAMATE
Neurotransmitters used by excitatory neurons
GABA(gamma-Aminobutyric acid)
Neurotransmitters used by inhibitory neurons
NICOTINE ADDICTION
 Tobacco Overview

Leaves of Nicotiana tobacum cured

and (usually) smoked
Indigenous to North America
Smoked by natives for medicinal,
ceremonial purposes (~1 B.C.)
 Up in Tobacco Smoke
Most cigarettes contain about 10 mg nicotine

Bioavailability: 1040% typical dose is 13 mg nicotine

per cigarette

Tar (or TPM) comes from the burning (pyrolysis) of

tobacco

CO is a pyrolysis product
 Nicotine
Nicotine is an alkaloid found naturally in tobacco
plants, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and green
peppers
Nicotine isolated (1828)
 Clinical Staging of Nicotine Addiction
Stage 1 Can remain abstinent indefinitely without
withdrawal symptoms

Stage 2 Wanting

Stage 3 Craving

Stage 4 Needing
Craving and Needing can be accompanied by the classic
symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
Restlessness
Anxiety
Irritability
Anger
Difficulty concentrating
Disturbed sleep
Homeostasis

The brain seeks balance

Nicotine Throws off this Balance
The brain compensates to regain balance.
Without nicotine the brain generates craving.
You need to smoke to regain balance
The Science of Nicotine Addiction
 Absorption
The most common way to get nicotine into your
bloodstream is through inhalation
Your lungs are lined by millions of alveoli, which are
the tiny air sacs where gas exchange occurs
Nicotine takes 10-15 seconds to reach the brain &
has a direct effect on the body for only ~30 minutes
Nicotine in smoke peaks in brain very rapidly,
despite relatively slow increase in blood
concentration

A typical cigarette contains 20 mg of nicotine

~2.5 mg of nicotine is absorbed

 Nicotine is a direct agonist for
nicotinic ACh receptors

Nicotine initially causes a

rapid release of adrenaline,
the "fight-or-flight" hormone
 Nicotine Receptor Modulation
Nicotine receptor modulation produces cascading
effects via neurohormones
 Nicotine Receptors Upregulate
Nicotine receptors upregulate: reversibility in chronic
smokers unclear
 Increased Receptors
Increased receptors associated with tolerance and
dependence
Brain of Nonsmoker Versus Brain of Smoker

Autopsy studies
Nonsmoker

comparing smokers to
nonsmokers reveal up
to 400% increases in
brain nicotine Prefrontal cortex

receptors
Reversibility extent,
time course, and
variability is unclear Temporal cortex

Text source: Perry, D., et al. (1999); Image source: Journal of

Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. (1999). Smoker
Hippocampus
 Acute Effects of Smoking
Classic stimulant effects of arousal (e.g. increased heart rate and blood pressure,
alertness, appetite suppression)
Carbon monoxide (in smoked form) reduces oxygen transport to heart and other
organs
Prolonged use leads to cancer
Vasoconstriction
Can have calming (anxiolytic) effects in some individuals
Mild euphoria (relief?)
Cognitive enhancements
Antidepressant effects
 Positive Effects of Nicotine
Glutamate
Increases learning and memory
Enhances connections between sets of neurons

Alzheimer's Disease
The first neurons lost to Alzheimer's are
cholinergic neurons
Patients showed increased capacity for learning
verbal material when exposed to nicotine
Symptoms reduced in
ADHD
Tourette's Syndrome
Advertising
Cigarettes Are among the Most Addictive Drugs
The Ultimate Chemical Cocktail
Tobacco-delivered nicotine
Most addictive
Most toxic
Explosively fast delivery
Optimal particle size to deposit in the lung
pH controlled
Sensory optimization
Chemical cocktail designed to addict
Ammonia increases dose
Acetaldehyde synergy
Smoothing menthol
MAO (monoamine oxidase) inhibiting effects
Anti-Smoking Ad Campaigns

Scare tactics
Jeff The Diseased Lung, John Oliver's Gift
THE INDONESIAN KID