Related topics: smoking , smokers
Nicotine
hideNicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae) which constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots, and accumulating in the leaves. It functions as an antiherbivore chemical with particular specificity to insects; therefore nicotine was widely used as an insecticide in the past, and currently nicotine analogs such as imidacloprid continue to be widely used.
In low concentrations (an average cigarette yields about 1 mg of absorbed nicotine), the substance acts as a stimulant in mammals and is one of the main factors responsible for the dependence-forming properties of tobacco smoking. According to the American Heart Association, "Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break." The pharmacological and behavioral characteristics that determine tobacco addiction are similar to those that determine addiction to drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Nicotine content in cigarettes has actually slowly increased over the years, and one study found that there was an average increase of 1.6% per year between the years of 1998 and 2005. This was found for all major market categories of cigarettes.
For more information about Nicotine, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with nicotine
Vaccine being developed to help smokers quit
Medicine & Health / Medications
Nov 20, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (16) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Glaxo-SmithKline has joined forces with Nabi Pharmaceuticals to produce a vaccine to help smokers give up their addiction permanently.
How cigarettes calm you down
Apr 24, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (9) |
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The calming neurological effects of nicotine have been demonstrated in a group of non-smokers during anger provocation. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Behavioral and Brain Functions suggest that n ...
Research reveals why some smokers become addicted with their first cigarette
Aug 05, 2008 |
3.4 / 5 (10) |
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New research from The University of Western Ontario reveals how the brain processes the 'rewarding' and addictive properties of nicotine, providing a better understanding of why some people seemingly become hooked with their ...
Nicotine may have more profound impact than previously thought
Apr 03, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
3
Nicotine isn't just addictive. It may also interfere with dozens of cellular interactions in the body, new Brown University research suggests.
Scientists seek to manage dopamine's good and bad sides
Oct 07, 2009 |
5 / 5 (6) |
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The good, the bad and the ugly: That's a quick summary of the effects of dopamine, a natural brain chemical that's linked to pleasure, addiction and disease.
Scientists find blocking a neuropeptide receptor decreases nicotine addiction
Nov 24, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
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The study was published in an online Early Edition issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the week of November 24. Scripps Florida is a division of The Scripps Research Institute.
Do 'light' cigarettes deliver less nicotine to the brain than regular cigarettes?
Sep 28, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
1
For decades now, cigarette makers have marketed so-called light cigarettes — which contain less nicotine than regular smokes — with the implication that they are less harmful to smokers' health. A new UCLA study shows, however, ...
Nicotine activates more than just the brain's pleasure pathways
Jan 22, 2009 |
4 / 5 (4) |
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Duke University Medical System researchers have discovered there are differing taste pathways for nicotine, which could provide a new approach for future smoking-cessation products.
Cocaine Vaccine Shows Promise for Treating Addiction
Oct 05, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
5
(PhysOrg.com) -- Immunization with an experimental anti-cocaine vaccine resulted in a substantial reduction in cocaine use in 38 percent of vaccinated patients in a clinical trial supported by the National Institute on Drug ...
ADHD appears to increase level of nicotine dependence in smokers
Oct 21, 2008 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
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Young people with ADHD are not only at increased risk of starting to smoke cigarettes, they also tend to become more seriously addicted to tobacco and more vulnerable to environmental factors such as having friends or parents ...
Research suggests that cigarettes' power may not be in nicotine itself
Sep 03, 2008 |
3.3 / 5 (4) |
1
There may be a very good reason why coffee and cigarettes often seem to go hand in hand. A Kansas State University psychology professor's research suggests that nicotine's power may be in how it enhances other experiences. ...
Researchers find link between nicotine addiction and autism
Nov 17, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
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Scientists have identified a relationship between two proteins in the brain that has links to both nicotine addiction and autism. The finding has led to speculation that existing drugs used to curb nicotine addiction might ...
Nicotine Activates More than Just the Brain’s Pleasure Pathways
Jan 26, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (3) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Duke University Medical System researchers have discovered there are differing taste pathways for nicotine, which could provide a new approach for future smoking-cessation products.
Obama, citing his smoking woes, signs tobacco law
Jun 22, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (3) |
2
(AP) -- Lamenting his first teenage cigarette, President Barack Obama ruefully admitted on Monday that he's spent his adult life fighting the habit. Then he signed the nation's toughest anti-smoking law, ...
Critical genetic link found between human taste differences and nicotine dependence
Oct 14, 2008 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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Could an aversion to bitter substances or an overall heightened sense of taste help protect some people from becoming addicted to nicotine? That's what researchers at UVA have found using an innovative new method they've ...
