The Biology of Nicotine Dependence

Nicotine is considered to be the main agent in the maintenance of the tobacco smoking habit and is largely responsible for the behavioral and physiological responses to the inhalation of tobacco smoke. This work presents advances made in the elucidation of the action of nicotine in the body--essential information for developing treatments to help people give up smoking. The book reviews the progress made in identifying nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain, using the techniques of molecular biology to characterize receptors and investigate the functional differences between receptors composed of different types of subunits. Sex-specific differences in the response to nicotine, the effects of nicotine on locomotor activity, and its still-debated influence on cognitive performance are considered. The book also examines the habit-forming role of nicotine, the development of tolerance to nicotine, and the less clearly understood phenomenon of withdrawal. Also discusses some potential therapeutic strategies.

Nicotine is considered to be the main agent in the maintenance of the tobacco smoking habit and is largely responsible for the behavioral and physiological responses to the inhalation of tobacco smoke. This work presents advances made in the elucidation of the action of nicotine in the body--essential information for developing treatments to help people give up smoking. The book reviews the progress made in identifying nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain, using the techniques of molecular biology to characterize receptors and investigate the functional differences between receptors composed of different types of subunits. Sex-specific differences in the response to nicotine, the effects of nicotine on locomotor activity, and its still-debated influence on cognitive performance are considered. The book also examines the habit-forming role of nicotine, the development of tolerance to nicotine, and the less clearly understood phenomenon of withdrawal. Also discusses some potential therapeutic strategies.

Partial table of contents:Behavioral Pharmacology of Nicotine: Implications for MultipleBrain Nicotinic Receptors (I. Stolerman).Mechanism of Action of the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (J.Steinbach).Modulation of Nicotine Receptors by Chronic Exposure toNicotinic Agonists and Antagonists (A. Collins, et al.).Regulation of Endocrine Function by the Nicotinic CholinergicReceptor (K. Fuxe, et al.).Effects of Nicotine on Cerebral Metabolism (E. London).Mesolimbic Dopamine Activation--The Key to NicotineReinforcement?(P. Clarke).Effect of Nicotine on Dynamic Function of Brain CatecholamineNeurons (T. Svensson, et al.).Pharmacokinetic Considerations in Understanding NicotineDependence (N. Benowitz).Behavioral Studies in Humans: Anxiety, Stress and Smoking (O.Pomerleau & C. Pomerleau).Index of Contributors.Subject Index.