Brain studies shed light on nicotine addiction susceptibility

A new study has revealed how genetic differences in parts of the brain can affect an individual's susceptibility to the effects of nicotine addiction.

The Scripps Research Institute's Florida campus has discovered from an investigation into animal models that the nicotinic receptor subunit alpha-5 in the brain can consume more nicotine than normal when inhibited by a mutation.

This receptor plays a central role in suppressing the body's urge to consume more of the drug, meaning that a mutation in this area can leave patients more at risk of smoking addiction and associated lung diseases.

However, scientists found that boosting the alpha-5 subunit's expression can reverse the effects of the mutation, opening the door for a range of potential therapy options.

Scripps Research associate professor Paul Kenny, the study's leader, said: "We believe this new data establish a new framework for understanding the motivational drives in nicotine consumption and also the brain pathways that regulate vulnerability to tobacco addiction."

According to data from Action on Smoking and Health, smoking causes around 90 percent of UK lung cancer deaths and can be cited as a cause for approximately a third of all cancer fatalities.