SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.6 issue1The Clinical Method and its importance for the diagnosisContribution of the immunology to the quality of medical graduate in the development of the professional competitions author indexsubject indexarticles search
Home Pagealphabetic serial listing  

Services on Demand

Journal

Article

Indicators

  • Have no cited articlesCited by SciELO

Related links

  • Have no similar articlesSimilars in SciELO

Share


Revista Habanera de Ciencias Médicas

On-line version ISSN 1729-519X

Abstract

PEREZ CRUZ, Nuvia; PEREZ CRUZ, Hayvin  and  FERNANDEZ MANCHON, Eduardo J.. Nicotine and addiction. Rev haban cienc méd [online]. 2007, vol.6, n.1. ISSN 1729-519X.

Smoking must be considered as a drug dependence.Nicotine is its main psicoactive ingredient and it ows its addictive propieties to the increase of dopamine liberation in the reward circuits, due to its agonist action on the nicotinic cholinergic receptors. Non direct stimulation over other neurotransmission systems, such as the noradrenergic and cannabinoid, has been involved in its reinforcing propieties. The main of this paper is to express the molecular approach of smoking , which uncovers the susceptible targets to be modified by pharmacological interventions. The current strategies include the substitutive therapy with nicotine, the use of antidepressants and the development of vaccines. The treatment of the smoking habit involves a series of  regulations and legislations ; must of all, it involves a change of behavior, which in conjunction with the pharmacological support, it is an efficacious way of reducing the morbidity and mortality derived from tobacco at a short and a long term.

Keywords : Nicotine; Addiction; Drug Dependence; Nicotine Receptor; Dopamine; Reward circuits.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish

 

Creative Commons License All the contents of this journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License