Episode 23: The Neuroscience of Smoking Cigarettes

Tobacco has a long and storied history but its effects on the modern world cannot be ignored. It was hailed as a cure to many ailments for years but as we understand more - we understand that its REALLY bad for you. Something like 80-90% of lung cancer cases are related to smoking along with a plethora of other diseases.

Curious? Want to learn more about the receptors and brain areas affected by nicotine, the active ingredient in cigarettes? Come and take a listen!

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Citations and relevant papers are below!
1907 - Handbook of American Indians north of Mexico, Part I; Frederick Webb Hodge. Internet Archives; Bureau of American Ethnology. Published online January 21, 2019. Accessed June 13, 2022. digitalcommons.csumb.edu/hornbeck_ind_3/3
Baron JA. Beneficial effects of nicotine and cigarette smoking: the real, the possible and the spurious. British medical bulletin. 1996;52(1):58-73. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a011533
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Effects of Smoking and Tobacco Use. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published February 9, 2017. cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/health_effec…
Psychopharmacology 3e Web Box 13.1 - Pharmacology in Action: Why Do Tobacco Plants Make Nicotine? learninglink.oup.com. Accessed June 13, 2022. learninglink.oup.com/access/content/psychophar…
PubChem. Nicotine. Nih.gov. Published 2019. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/nicotine
Holz RW, Fisher SK. Synaptic Transmission. Basic Neurochemistry: Molecular, Cellular and Medical Aspects 6th edition. Published online 1999. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK27911
Hogg RC, Raggenbass M, Bertrand D. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors: from structure to brain function. Reviews of Physiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology. 2003;147:1-46. doi:10.1007/s10254-003-0005-1
Taly A, Corringer PJ, Guedin D, Lestage P, Changeux JP. Nicotinic receptors: allosteric transitions and therapeutic targets in the nervous system. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 2009;8(9):733-750. doi:10.1038/nrd2927
Abuse NI on D. How does tobacco deliver its effects? National Institute on Drug Abuse. nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/tob…
Chen X, Stacy A, Zheng H, et al. Sensations from initial exposure to nicotine predicting adolescent smoking in China: A potential measure of vulnerability to nicotine. Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 2003;5(4):455-463. doi:10.1080/14622200307239
Laviolette SR, van der Kooy D. The neurobiology of nicotine addiction: bridging the gap from molecules to behaviour. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 2004;5(1):55-65. doi:10.1038/nrn1298
Marshall AM, Heffernan T. Smoking harms not just your physical health, but your mental health too. The Conversation. theconversation.com/smoking-harms-not-just-you…
‌S Karama, S Ducharme, J Corley, F Chouinard-Decorte, J M S
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