A new study reveals a brain mechanism which may be white of new drugs designed to help people quit smoking without weight. This research, funded by the National Institute on the abuse of drugs (NIDA), part of the national institutes of health, shows that a specific subclass of the Nicotinic receptor in the brain is involved in the ability of nicotine to reduce the consumption of food in rodents. Previous research showed that on average, weight gain after smoking is less than 10 pounds, but the fear of weight gain may deter some people who want to quit smoking.
In the study researchers found that a nicotine as a drug, cytisine, specifically active Nicotinic Receptors in the hypothalamus - a centre of the brain which controls food. This resulted in the activation of a circuit of the reduction of fat and food consumption in a mouse model. This effect is very specific that a drug that prevents binding of cytisine to receiving hypothalamus had blocked the reduction in food consumption.
The use of tobacco, nicotine is one of the most widely used addictive drugs and the leading cause of preventable illness, disability and death to the United States. According to the centers of prevention and control of diseases, smoking has produced more than 440 000 preventable deaths each year: 1-5 overall U.S. death. Despite spending to health of smoking well documented, many smokers report difficulty quitting.
"These models enable us to explore mouse mechanisms by acts of nicotine in the brain to reduce the consumption of food", said Dr. Marina Picciotto, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut and main author of the article. "We have found that nicotine reduced body fat and eating via the receptors involved in the aversion of nicotine and withdrawal rather than reward and reinforcement".
"These results suggest that drugs specifically for this track could relieve nicotine withdrawal, as well as reduce the risk of overeating during quitting smoking,", said Dr. NIDA Nora d. Volkow. "Although further research is needed, such a highly selective compound could be more effective than drugs that act on more than one type of Nicotine.".
(Source: National Institute of the abuse of drugs (NIDA): Science)
