The domino effect of nicotine

Why, despite the unequivocal evidence, do smokers fail to quit?

By Yanai Ofran

According to the World Health Organization, every minute eight people die from injuries
smoking. A large part of them, probably even most of them, were aware of the danger
many years before death. A large part of them, recent surveys show
Even most of them tried to stop at some point. Why do they fail? researchers
The mind and behavior are difficult to explain. A study published this week reveals one
The brain mechanisms that cause addiction to cigarettes, and offers directions
New to the development of a drug that will help those who want to quit.

The feeling of satisfaction that the cigarette gives the smoker is commonly associated with dopamine.
Dopamine, a substance secreted in certain areas of the brain, is associated with vigor and satisfaction
and reward. After one inhalation, a storm of
Dopamine, which causes feelings of satisfaction and sometimes even alertness. the celebration
The biochemical lasts about an hour after each cigarette.
Towards the end of the hour, when the dopamine levels drop again, silence takes over the mind
stretching. Or then the desire arises in the master of the mind, and he reaches out to
the pack

Many studies have tried to crack the biochemical mechanisms that drive the
this circle. Such an understanding, the researchers hope, will enable the development of drugs
They will ease the rehab. Studies done on brain cells in areas that are connected
For the feeling of satisfaction, they showed that as soon as the cigarette is lit, these cells are washed away
in a wave of nicotine and increase the production of dopamine.

But these studies also revealed a strange phenomenon: the dopamine-producing cells
These areas are very sensitive to nicotine - with the first hit of nicotine,
They start with an intensive production of dopamine. But after a stroke
The nicotine that comes with the first puff, they completely lose
their sensitivity and stop responding to nicotine. Where does current come from, then?
The dopamine that keeps the tension going for an entire hour? This mystery is searched for
Addiction researchers have been explaining for several years.

A team of researchers led by Hubert Manselber of the University of Chicago reports
This week about solving this mystery. They followed an intricate web of transmission
messages between different areas of the brain and discovered the first nicotine hit
causes a complex chain reaction. After the nicotine activates the cells
Dopamine producers directly, the cells learn to ignore it. but
Nicotine, for its part, acts on cells in other areas of the brain, which act on
cells in other areas, which ultimately affect the producing cells
dopamine, causing them to continue with increased production of dopamine. needed
At least an hour to calm this tangled chain and get back to normal. only
When all this commotion subsides, the dopamine level drops, and only then does it wake up
Renew the craving for nicotine.

These findings, Mansalvar and his team claim in an article published this week in print
The Times," "Neuron can be very helpful in assisting the weaned. if found
A chemical that will block this circuit will suppress the production of dopamine and will decrease
From the brain the ability to enjoy cigarettes. If the dopamine rush is curbed,
The great fall that comes at the end and gives rise to the desire for more will also be eliminated
cigarette.

Drug companies may now start looking for a chemical that can block the
This circle, but there are those who are not sure that such a drug can guarantee
success. According to Mansalvar's findings, the first nicotine hit is enough, that is
In one stroke, to cause this chain reaction and cause an innocent hour
of increased dopamine production. But if the feeling of pleasure can be produced
One puff, why do people smoke whole cigarettes, or even dozens
cigarettes a day? And if the brain awakening lasts an hour, after which comes
The bitter fall, why there are chain smokers who smoke several cigarettes an hour
One, and compared to smokers who settle for one cigarette every two or three hours?

Perhaps, suggests for example David Balfour from the University of Dundee in England,
Dopamine is only part of the story. It is likely that the explanation for the phenomenon is complex
As smoking is related not only to the chemical reaction to nicotine and dopamine, but also
For many other things - social image, the need to play something, the pleasure
From the act of smoking itself, the fear of change. To overcome the addiction you have to
Investigate and understand these factors as well, which you, it seems, are not so much
Just deal with chemical means. It is also possible that these factors can
to explain the fact that 40-20% of those who try to quit smoking succeed
In the end; Already today, even before the miracle cure was found.

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