Search results for "NICOTINE DEPENDENCE"
showing 10 items of 14 documents
Association of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha 4 polymorphisms with nicotine dependence in 5500 Germans.
2009
Polymorphisms in the CHRNA4 gene coding the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha 4 have recently been suggested to play a role in the determination of smoking-related phenotypes. To examine this hypothesis, we conducted a genetic association study in three large samples from the German general population (N(1)=1412; N(2)=1855; N(3)=2294). Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms in CHRNA4 were genotyped in 5561 participants, including 2707 heavily smoking cases (regularly smoking at least 20 cigarettes per day) and 2399 never-smoking controls (or=100 cigarettes over lifetime). We examined associations of the polymorphisms with smoking case-control status and with the extent of nicotin…
Defining substance use disorders: do we really need more than heavy use?
2013
Aims: The aim of the study was to explore whether the concept of heavy substance use over time can be used as definition of substance use disorder. Methods: Narrative review. Results: Heavy use over time clearly underlies the neurobiological changes asso- ciated with current thinking of substance use disorders. In addition, there is evidence that heavy use over time can explain the majority of social problems and of burden of disease (morbidity and mortality). A definition of substance use disorders via heavy use over time would avoid some of the problems of current conceptualizations, for instance the cultural specificity of concepts such as loss of control. Finally, stressing the continuu…
Meta-analysis and imputation refines the association of 15q25 with smoking quantity.
2010
Smoking is a leading global cause of disease and mortality(1). We established the Oxford-GlaxoSmithKline study (Ox-GSK) to perform a genome-wide meta-analysis of SNP association with smoking-related behavioral traits. Our final data set included 41,150 individuals drawn from 20 disease, population and control cohorts. Our analysis confirmed an effect on smoking quantity at a locus on 15q25 (P = 9.45 x 10(-19)) that includes CHRNA5, CHRNA3 and CHRNB4, three genes encoding neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits. We used data from the 1000 Genomes project to investigate the region using imputation, which allowed for analysis of virtually all common SNPs in the region and offered a …
Bupropion induced changes in exploratory and anxiety-like behaviour in NMRI male mice depends on the age
2013
The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the antidepressant bupropion on anxiety and novelty-seeking in adolescent mice of different ages and adults. Behavioural differences between early adolescent, late adolescent and adult NMRI mice were measured both in the elevated plus-maze and the hole-board tasks following acute administration of bupropion (5, 10, 15, 20 mg/kg) or saline. In the plus maze test, early and late adolescent mice treated with bupropion (10, 15 mg/kg, respectively) had lower percentages of entries in the open-arms compared to their vehicle controls. Adult mice treated with bupropion did not differ from their vehicle controls. These results suggest that the effec…
Effects of bupropion, alone or coadministered with nicotine, on social behavior in mice
2008
Bupropion, administered alone or combined with nicotine, is presently used to treat nicotine dependence. Despite experimental evidence of the complex behavioral actions of this drug, there have been little data reported about its effects on social behavior. Our main aim was to investigate the effects of acute administration of bupropion, alone or plus nicotine, on social interaction in mice. OF1 group-housed male mice were confronted in a neutral cage with an anosmic opponent during a 10 minutes encounter. Time allocated to body care and digging was reduced by administration of bupropion (40 mg/kg) both when administered alone and with nicotine (1 and 0.5 mg/kg). The lowest dose of bupropio…
Substance use, medication adherence and outcome one year following a first episode of psychosis
2016
Both substance use and poor medication adherence are associated with poor outcome in psychosis. To clarify the contributions of substance use and poor medication adherence to poor outcome in the year following a first episode of psychosis, 205 patients were evaluated for use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and stimulants at their psychosis onset, and in a 1-year follow-up. Data on medication adherence and symptom remission were also collected. Patients had high rates of overall substance use before (37-65%) and after psychosis onset (45-66%). 44% showed poor medication adherence and 55% did not reach remission from psychosis. Nicotine dependence and cannabis use after psychosis onset signific…
P50 sensory gating and smoking in the general population
2011
P50 gating is a major functional biomarker in research on schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions with high smoking prevalence. It is used as endophenotype for studying nicotinic systems genetics and as surrogate endpoint measure for drug development of nicotinic agonists. Surprisingly, little is known about P50 gating in the general population and the relationship to smoking-related characteristics. In this multicenter study at six academic institutions throughout Germany, n = 907 never-smokers (NS < 20 cigarettes/lifetime), n = 463 light smokers (LS) with Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) ≥ 4 and n = 353 heavy smokers (HS, FTND < 4) were randomly selected from the gene…
Light smoking and dependence symptoms in high-school students.
2005
Summary In high-school students, prevalence of smoking is high but few studies analyzed smoking in the student population according to nicotine content of smoked cigarettes and gender. We analyzed the responses to a questionnaire, including the modified Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (FTQ), administered to 555 students (382 males, 173 females) of a professional high school in Palermo, Italy, to assess the prevalence in both genders of: (1) smoking “light” and high nicotine (HN) cigarettes; (2) signs of nicotine dependence and (3) respiratory symptoms. Nicotine content of habitually smoked cigarettes was considered as “light” if ⩽0.8 mg; as high if >0.8 mg. Forty-four percent of students…
Alcohol and Nicotine Use among Adolescents: An Observational Study in a Sicilian Cohort of High School Students
2022
In recent years, the mode of alcoholic intake known as binge drinking (BD) has become a common practice, especially among adolescents who, due to socio-environmental motives, tend to reach a rapid state of drunkenness. This drunkeness leads to alterations in brain areas responsible for executive functions and cognitive processes, as well as to the genesis of factors that predispose to lasting addiction. Likewise, nicotine leads to a comparable degree of addiction. On this basis, the aim of this research was to evaluate, on a cohort of 349 high school students (15–17 years old) in the province of Palermo, the following: (I) the drinking model of alcoholic beverages; (II) the use of nic…
Which are the communication styles of anti-tobacco spots that most impress adolescents?
2019
Abstract Objectives To evaluate emotions and opinions of Italian adolescents aged 13-18 years old about different anti-tobacco spots delivered by the mass media campaigns over the world. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted. Italian students from different regions were enrolled. A video that collected 7 anti-tobacco spots from all over the world. The spots describe the tobacco dependence, the health damages and the tobacco components using different communication styles (funny, scientific, dramatic, comedians, shocking, and sad). Information on age, gender, smoking status of family and peers were gathered. Descriptive and univariate analysis of emotional and cognitive r…