01 February 2011
Paris, India
STUBBING IT OUT
In experiments with mice and rats, the researchers mapped the functioning of a gene called CHRNA5 that has been previously fingeredin nicotine addiction. The gene controls a receptor which responds to nicotine molecules.
With a normal version of this gene, anything more than a tiny dose of nicotine triggers a message to the brain which says, in effect, "stop consuming," scientists found. Larger doses unleash a sense of repulsion, similar to "bad–tasting food or drink," lead researcher Paul Kenny at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida said in an emailexchange.Buttheeffect was quite different in mice in which a tinysub–unitofthe receptor, known as alpha5, had been knockedout.
The negative message was never sent – and as a result, the rodents couldn't get enough of the potent drug. A similar scenario occurs naturally in some humans, the researchers believe. On the strength of the new findings Kenny plans to design a new category of drugs.
AFP How parents pass on smoking habits Fathers transmit their smoking habits to their sons, while mothers do the same for daughters. However, if a mother smokes it does not seem to induce the son to smoke, and similarly a father who smokes does not affect his daughter, says a new study. The probabilities of a son smoking if both parents smoke is 24% while for daughters it is 23%, but this falls to 12% for both sons and daughters if neither of the parents smokes.
Disclaimer: The news story on this page is the copyright of the cited publication. This has been reproduced here for visitors to review, comment on and discuss. This is in keeping with the principle of ‘Fair dealing’ or ‘Fair use’. Visitors may click on the publication name, in the news story, to visit the original article as it appears on the publication’s website.
