Picciotto Marina R
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 34 Park Street-3rd Floor Research, New Haven, CT 06508, USA.
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2003 Sep;24(9):493-9. doi: 10.1016/S0165-6147(03)00230-X.
Nicotine is the crucial component in tobacco that underlies smoking behavior; however, the effects of nicotine can vary in both human and animal studies. Recent data from knockout mouse studies, neurotransmitter release studies and electrophysiological experiments support the hypothesis that conflicting behavioral effects elicited by nicotine can result from the activation of different subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and the stimulation of antagonistic neuronal pathways. Thus, small differences in the activation state, connectivity or sensitivity of neuronal pathways among individuals might result in large differences in behavioral responses to nicotine. An understanding of the molecular and cellular processes that oppose nicotine reinforcement will be crucial for the development of new interventions to initiate smoking cessation or to prevent the transition from occasional smoking to dependence.
尼古丁是烟草中的关键成分，是吸烟行为的基础；然而，在人体和动物研究中，尼古丁的作用可能有所不同。基因敲除小鼠研究、神经递质释放研究和电生理实验的最新数据支持这样一种假说，即尼古丁引发的相互矛盾的行为效应可能源于烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体不同亚型的激活以及对拮抗神经元通路的刺激。因此，个体之间神经元通路激活状态、连接性或敏感性的微小差异可能导致对尼古丁行为反应的巨大差异。了解对抗尼古丁强化作用的分子和细胞过程对于开发新的干预措施以启动戒烟或预防从偶尔吸烟到成瘾的转变至关重要。
