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Re: Nicotine and brain chemicals » tina

Posted by Larry Hoover on June 9, 2003, at 20:54:48

In reply to Nicotine and brain chemicals, posted by tina on June 9, 2003, at 18:22:40

> Can anyone tell me if smoking cigarettes alters brain chemistry at all? I started smoking again a few days ago and my mood has vastly improved. I haven't felt this good in ages.
> Does nicotine do anything to neurotransmitters?
> thanks
> tina

Yup. Nicotine does lots of things in the brain.

Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2002 Sep;40(9):404-18.

A review of the pharmacological and psychopharmacological aspects of smoking and smoking cessation in psychiatric patients.

Haustein KO, Haffner S, Woodcock BG.

Institute for Nicotine Research and Smoking Cessation, Erfurt, Germany. haustein@inr-online.de

The data reviewed confirm that mentally ill patients smoke twice as many cigarettes as patients without mental illness. The secretion of neurotransmitters such as noradrenaline, serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, gamma-amino-butyric acid and glutamate is increased by the binding of nicotine to central nicotine receptors. There are also data showing that serotonin formation and secretion in patients with mental illness are influenced by chronic smoking. Cigarette smoke inhibits the activity of monoamine oxidase B, which is responsible for the catabolism of several brain neurotransmitters. Patients suffering from major depression show a comorbidity between heavy smoking and the disease. In patients with schizophrenia treated with neuroleptics, increased cigarette smoking reduces adverse reactions to the drug therapy presumably because of an increase in metabolism of the neuroleptics. There is also evidence suggesting that quitting smoking is more difficult for mentally ill patients than patients without psychiatric disease. (abstract snipped)

 

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URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030609/msgs/232761.html