The Neuronal Pathways Mediating the Behavioral and Addictive Properties of Nicotine
Abstract
This chapter considers the neurobiological mechanisms that are thought to mediate the reinforcing or rewarding properties of nicotine. It focuses on the data (derived principally from studies with experimental animals) showing that nicotine, like other drugs of dependence, stimulates the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) neurones that project to the nucleus accumbens and that these effects play a pivotal role in the biology underlying nicotine dependence. The reinforcing or rewarding properties of nicotine are thought to be associated particularly with the increase in DA overflow evoked in the shell subdivision of the accumbens. However, behavioural studies suggest that these properties of nicotine in experimental animals do not seem to be sufficiently potent to explain the powerful addiction to tobacco experienced by most habitual smokers. This chapter also considers the biological mechanisms that mediate the effects of cues and stimuli associated with the presentation of nicotine, which are thought to contribute significantly to the powerful addictive properties of tobacco smoke.
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The rewarding effect of smoking is enhanced by other stimuli such as the sensation of smoke in the throat being closely paired in time with the nicotine reward.
“It appears that this rewarding effect is enhanced by the fact that other stimuli such as the sensation of smoke in the throat are closely paired in time with the nicotine reward (14)”
From The Multiple Facets of Cigarette Addiction and What They Mean for Encouraging and Helping Smokers to Stop (2009) · cites this paper as [14]
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References 108 · Cited by 99
- Authors
- Balfour, D. J. K.
- Affiliations
- University of Dundee (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Balfour, David J.K.
- ORCID
- Balfour, David J.K.
- Venue
- Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology
- Publisher
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Published
- 2009-01-31
- Issue
- 192
- Pages
- 209-233
- ISSN
- 0171-2004 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W83920476
- Cited by
- 99
- References
- 108
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 13.80
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Handbook of experimental pharmacology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Discovery Research Portal (University of Dundee) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Keywords
- nicotine, nicotine dependence, tobacco dependence, mesolimbic dopamine system, nucleus accumbens, dopamine release, reinforcement, conditioned cues, smoking behavior, nicotine pharmacology
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain, Dopamine, Humans, Nicotine, Serotonin, Substance Withdrawal Syndrome, Tobacco Use Disorder, Behavior, Addictive, Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate, Nicotinic Agonists, Receptors, Cannabinoid
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