Nicotine Addiction

Addiction affects many people in society. Addiction is defined as, “behavioral syndrome, characterized by compulsive drug seeking with relapse into drug use” (Spanagel, R. and Heilig, M, 2005). Addiction comes in many forms, with many different substances. Addictive behavior is characterized as compulsive, meaning there is a loss of ability to refrain from use. Losing control is a key feature of drug addiction. When a person loses control of drug activities, they become addicted, and dependent on the drug. People tend to also become addicted to drugs because of the rewarding feeling immediately after taking the drug. This rewarding feeling keeps people using.
Impulsive choice is defined as, “an abnormally high preference for small, immediate
It also induces pleasure and reduce anxiety, along with stress.
Nicotine is one of the many chemicals in tobacco. When inhaled, the nicotine diffuses into the pulmonary blood and enters the systemic circulation, quickly reaching the brain. When in the brain the nicotine binds to the acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) (Rosenthal, D. G et al. 2011). An important neurotransmitter is dopamine, which is critical to the acute reward pathways associated with nicotine abuse, along with other drugs.
Nicotine stimulates the dopaminergic transmission of VTA in the midbrain, which activates the nucleus acumens, which is an area crucial for nicotine-mediated physiological effects such as addiction, reward, and pleasure. Nicotine also facilitates the release of glutamate from the amygdala. Through time the GABA-ergic response decreases, the dopaminergic response is heightened, and the addictive effects of nicotine potentiate (Rosenthal, D. G et al.
Nicotine activates the PFC, thalamus, and visual system. Activation of these pathways cause phenotypic changes seen in nicotine addicts, such as augmentation of attention, mood, anxiety, and irritability. Hypocretin transmission in the insular cortex mediates the effect of nicotine-induced reward (Rosenthal, D. G et al. 2011).
Monoamine oxidase increases dopamine levels. MOA inhibitors affect mood, memory, arousal, and movement. Chronic exposure to nicotine can desensitize nAChRs, resulting in the tolerance to the effects of nicotine. The unresponsiveness of nAChRs results in the addiction of nicotine, because more nicotine is required to satisfy the person (Rosenthal, D. G et al. 2011).
When someone is addicted to nicotine, the smoke inhaled gives the person rewarding effects. Withdraw from nicotine increases extrahypothalamic corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) in the central nucleus system of the amygdala. Increased CRF causes anxiety, CRF1 receptors eliminate this anxiety in withdraw