Nicotine harms the brain for a long time

The damage to the brain by nicotine is long-lasting

12/25/2012

Anyone who has stopped smoking can be proud of themselves. But as scientists in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)“ According to a study, former smokers have long to struggle with the cognitive and physical consequences. This is obviously due to neurological changes caused by years of cigarette smoking. The glutamate system shows a significant undersupply in the course of a recent study.

Damage caused by nicotine
Nicotine has a more sustainable mode of action on the human brain than medical research has hitherto assumed. The effects are longer lasting and more pronounced, the Swiss researchers write in "PNAS".

The research team led by Gregor Hasler investigated the glutamate system of non-smokers, active smokers and ex-smokers. The glutamate balance in the central nervous system was compared with all three groups of volunteers.

Glutamate amount in the brain reduced by an average of 20 percent
It turned out that a special protein „mGluR5“ was much lower in cigarette users than in non-smokers. The amount of glutamate in the brain was reduced by an average of 20 percent and in some brain areas by as much as 30 percent. „New Non smoking“, So study participants who quit smoking about 25 weeks ago, showed a reduction of the protein „mGluR5“ by 10 to 20 percent. „The change in the glutamate system in people who smoke is much greater than previously thought“, reports Hasler.

The diminished GluR5 levels in ex-smokers show that the receptors have not yet regenerated. Probably the restoration of the glutamate system takes a long time. "It is therefore likely that the slow normalization of the mirror contributes to a high rate of recidivism," the researchers write in the study report.

More hunger and fears
The scientists now suspect that the changes in the glutamate system are also responsible for an increased occurrence of anxiety disorders in smokers. With former smokers the shifts could lead to an increased overweight risk. „That is still unclear“, emphasize the study authors. Here further research must be done.

Regarding the development of drugs that might affect the protein, it should be kept in mind that the effect on smokers and ex-smokers may be significantly different from the effect on non-smokers ", explains the senior physician from Bern." But drugs directly interfering with the glutamate system, smokers could help with their weaning, "said Gregor Hasler and colleagues.

Because nicotine has a stimulating but also soothing effect, many smokers suffer from physical symptoms even weeks after the first withdrawal. There are complaints such as tiredness, headaches, falling asleep, dizziness, aggression, lack of concentration and an increased feeling of hunger. Just those symptoms let many people start smoking again. Nevertheless, smoking cessation is worthwhile, because the risk of lung cancer and heart attack can be significantly reduced. (Sb)

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