The Emerging Science of Tobacco Use and Addiction from the National Institute on Drug Abuse
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009, 12:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Sponsored Luncheon Symposium - The US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) |
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Agenda
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| Panel: |
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| Invited Speaker: |
Dr. Lucinda Miner
National Institute on Drug Abuse,
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD
USA |
Moderator:
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Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D.
Director of Tobacco Research Laboratory and Treatment Programs
Professor, Department of Psychiatry
University of Minnesota
USA |
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| Presentation Description: |
Research has dramatically increased our understanding of the biological, behavioral and environmental factors that influence smoking initiation and nicotine addiction. Studies have shown that nicotine, like cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, increases the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine in brain pathways that control reward and pleasure. Data also suggest that a particular molecule, the beta 2 subunit of the nicotine cholinergic receptor, plays an important role in the reinforcing properties of nicotine and may serve as a potential target for the development of nicotine addiction medications. Evidence for a genetic variant affecting the enzyme CYP2A6, critical in nicotine metabolism, also has important implications for prevention and treatment development efforts.
Although significant progress has been made in our understanding of and ability to prevent and treat nicotine addiction, there is still need for further improvement. Research priorities of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in this area include: exploration of genetic factors that influence vulnerability to nicotine addiction as well as those that predict treatment response; investigation of the role nicotinic receptors play in fetal brain development and the effects that prenatal exposure to nicotine can have during childhood, adolescence and adult life; and identification of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the commonly comorbid conditions of smoking and mental disorders, particularly schizophrenia and depression.
NIDA is also currently engaged in collaborative efforts with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and others to accelerate the identification of new pharmacological treatments for nicotine addiction and to facilitate their validation, clinical testing and application.
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