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Withdrawal from Chronic Nicotine Exposure Alters Dopamine Signaling Dynamics in the Nucleus Accumbens 

Background

Unaided attempts to quit smoking commonly fail during the first 2 weeks of the nicotine withdrawal syndrome. Alterations in dopamine (DA) signaling correlate with withdrawal from chronic nicotine exposure, but those changes have not been well-characterized. . . .

Conclusions

The relative increase in the sensitivity of DA release to phasic stimulation suggests an increase in the signal-to-noise relationship of DA signaling during the withdrawal period. Therefore, the DA signal produced by acute nicotine re-exposure produces a DA response that might reinforce relapse to drug use (i.e., smoking). Because the basal DA concentration is low during withdrawal, therapies aimed at elevating the background DA signal represent a reasonable treatment strategy for nicotine-dependent individuals attempting to quit.

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Low dopamine levels during withdrawal promote relapse to smoking 

A new study in Biological Psychiatry this month now suggests that low dopamine levels that occur as a result of withdrawal from smoking actually promote the relapse to smoking.

Dopamine is a brain chemical messenger that is critically important in reward and motivation. Some research suggests that one of its central roles is to send a signal to the brain to 'seek something enjoyable'. Indeed, dopamine is released during many rewarding experiences, including taking drugs, smoking, having sex, and eating food.

This signal seems to depend on the dopamine which is released in response to environmental cues, called phasic release, as opposed to the tonic seepage of small amounts of dopamine from nerve cells. The tonic release of dopamine is implicated in helping the dopamine system set the level of its reactivity to inputs.

Since dopamine is released by smoking, it makes sense that dopamine levels become abnormal when a smoker chooses to stop smoking. Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Texas undertook their study to characterize these changes.

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Smoking Cessation Treatment Preferences, Intentions, and Behaviors Among a Large Sample of Colorado Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Smokers 

Conclusions: GLBT self-identification was not associated with lower than average acceptance of evidence-based smoking cessation strategies, especially NRT, but a large minority of GLBT smokers were unlikely to seek cessation assistance through clinical encounters. Public health campaigns should focus on supporting motivation to quit and providing nonclinical access to evidence-based treatments.

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Hrithik Roshan espouses smoke free Bollywood! 

Bollywood hunk Hrithik Roshan has stopped blowing smoke rings around him, thanks to Alan Carr’s book ‘Easy Way To Stop Smoking’.

Duggu’s last ciggi was three months back and the actor can’t stop raving about this book which helped him stop fagging.

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Continuing to wear nicotine patches after smoking lapses promotes recovery of abstinence  

Conclusions:  Continuing treatment to aid smoking cessation with active patches promotes recovery from lapses. Smokers should be encouraged to persist with patch treatment if they lapse to smoking.

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• Sticking to nicotine patch may prevent relapse  

When smokers on nicotine patch therapy lapse, they may have a better chance of avoiding a return to smoking if they stick with the patches instead of giving up their quit attempt, a new study concludes.

Nicotine replacement therapy, via patches, gums, nasal sprays and inhalers, is one option for kicking the smoking habit. But whether people should immediately stop using those therapies if they fall off the wagon has been a foggy area.

So for the new study, reported in the journal Addiction, researchers re-analyzed a past clinical trial testing the effectiveness of nicotine patches in U.S. smokers.

In the original trial, smokers were randomly assigned to use either patch therapy or inactive "placebo" patches.

The new analysis focused on 509 study participants who lapsed during the third to fifth week of treatment. A "lapse" meant smoking even a single cigarette.

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Put the brakes on tobacco, 

MIDLAND - Nancy Bell, a public health nurse with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, and Bourgeois Motors sales manager Adam Moreau are encouraging local cigarette smokers to quit the habit and enter the provincial Driven to Quit challenge. The deadline to enter online at www.driventoquit.ca is Feb. 29. Participants must remain tobacco free through the month of March for a chance to win a 2012 Ford Fusion or Edge.

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Relapse to smoking: Low dopamine is the culprit 

As dopamine is released with smoking, it is worth understanding that dopamine levels get disturbed when a smoker quits smoking. These changes were characterized on the basis of a study conducted by researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Texas.

For this study they administered mice with nicotine, the active constituent of cigarettes, for a number of weeks in a row. After that they withheld the nicotine and measured the consequent alterations in dopamine signaling in this period.

They observed that withdrawal from nicotine caused a deficit in dopamine in which the basal dopamine concentration and tonic dopamine signals were disproportionately lower than the phasic dopamine signals. When it was further administered with nicotine, it reversed the hypodopaminergic state.

The authors opine, these findings suggest that medications able to elevate tonic dopamine levels during withdrawal could be helpful for those want to kick the butt.

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• Low dopamine, the cause of relapse to smoking  

A new study has suggested that low dopamine levels that occur as a result of withdrawal from smoking actually promote the relapse to smoking. . . .

Since dopamine is released by smoking, it makes sense that dopamine levels become abnormal when a smoker chooses to stop smoking. Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Texas undertook their study to characterize these changes.

They studied mice that were administered nicotine, the active constituent of cigarettes, for several weeks. The researchers then withheld the nicotine and measured the subsequent alterations in dopamine signaling during the withdrawal period.

They reported that withdrawal from nicotine produced a deficit in dopamine in which the basal dopamine concentration and tonic dopamine signals were disproportionately lower than the phasic dopamine signals. Re-exposure to nicotine reversed the hypodopaminergic state. . . .

The study appeared this month in Biological Psychiatry.

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• Smoking-cessation drug ads raise concerns 

Ads that subtly promote the smoking cessation drug Champix are popping up in downtown Montreal, but the campaign is raising concerns after a recent study linked the drug to heart problems.

The drug, manufactured by Pfizer, is the subject of three Health Canada safety advisories.

The warnings involve reports of possible adverse reactions including depression, hostility, and increased risk of suicide. . . .

The ads in question feature the words “I did it!” on a green background with the drug’s website tagged underneath.

In Canada, as long as an ad doesn’t specify the disease or condition a drug is supposed to treat, it’s legal, even if the drug has been flagged for review by Health Canada.

In the U.S., stricter advertising standards prohibit Pfizer from using the same marketing for the drug.

Complies with regulations

In an emailed statement, Pfizer said the ads comply with all federal regulations.

"The campaign was also reviewed and approved by Advertising Standards Canada (ASC) as part of their pre-clearance service," the statement reads.

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For pets' health, stop smoking 

Valentine's Day is a traditional time to show love for the special people in our lives, but what about our pets?

"Our animals give us their unconditional love, and in return, we can show our love for them by quitting smoking on Feb. 14," said Jayme Bottke of Tehama County Health Services Agency in a press release.

During the month of February, veterinary offices in Tehama County and throughout the North State are asking clients about tobacco use in their homes and informing pet owners that they can protect their pets from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke if family members quit or choose to smoke away from their animals, reported the agency.

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HORNER: Guest Viewpoint: Anti-smoking funds should be increased, not slashed 

The New York State Tobacco Control Program has been working for years with one hand tied behind its back because of inadequate funding and seen some success in spite of it. Now, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has included a $5 million cut to the program in his 2012-13 proposed state budget.

There are many things that seem unfair about the ongoing cuts to this vital program.

It's unfair that the governor proposes cutting anti-tobacco programs. After all, the state raises lots of money from tobacco revenues and Cuomo has proposed increasing the tax on loose tobacco (a good idea). As a result, more people will want to quit smoking because of higher prices, but they'll have fewer resources to help them do it.

It's unfair that smokers pay into the state's coffers in the form of the highest cigarette tax in the nation ($4.35 per pack), to the tune of $1.5 billion this year, but get little in terms of services when they want to quit.

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• Quitting Smoking May Halve Risk of Oral Health Problems 

Adult smokers are twice as likely to develop oral health problems as those who have kicked the habit, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found.

Compared to people who never smoked, current smokers are four times more likely to develop oral conditions, such as mouth cancers, gum disease and cavities.

The CDC investigators also found that smokers between the ages of 18 and 64 are nearly 1.5 times as likely as former smokers and more than twice as likely as people who never smoked to have three or more oral health problems.

Although current smokers were more likely to acknowledge the importance of oral health issues, they were less likely than former or never smokers to visit a dentist for an existing problem, the findings showed. The researchers reported that people who smoke are about twice as likely to have not been to the dentist in more than five years or not at all.

The main reason smokers said they avoided the dentist, the CDC authors noted, was that they couldn't afford dental treatment.

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Ottawa docs promote stop-smoking model at conference 

Doctors from around the world will leave Ottawa with new ideas to help patients quit smoking after their annual conference Saturday.

The fourth annual Ottawa Conference promoted the Ottawa Heart Institute's stop-smoking model, which reaches out to smokers after they've been hospitalized because of their addiction.

"When someone gets admitted to the hospital, that's a teachable moment for them," said Dr. Anil Gupta of the Trillium Health Centre. "That's a time in their lives when they're most likely in the frame of mind to want to quit smoking because they've just had some sort of acute event."

It's estimated 60 per cent of smokers will die early, which doctors said makes their role important.

"It can be very difficult to stop smoking and that's one of the purposes of our conferences," said Dr. Andrew Pipe. "We can share experience and research in order that we can identify ways in which we can be much more helpful to smokers."

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Coughing and other respiratory symptoms improve within weeks of smoking cessation 

If the proven long-term benefits of smoking cessation are not enough to motivate young adults to stop smoking, a new study shows that 18- to 24-year olds who stop smoking for at least two weeks report substantially fewer respiratory symptoms, especially coughing. The study findings are detailed in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology.

Karen Calabro, DrPH and Alexander Prokhorov, MD, PhD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, compared self-reported respiratory symptoms among two groups of college students who participated in programs designed to motivate them to stop smoking. One group achieved smoking cessation for two weeks or longer and the other group failed to stop smoking. More than half of the students smoked 5-10 cigarettes a day and had smoked for 1-5 years.

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