Exam 3 Nicotine and Caffeine

How addictive is nicotine?

about 2/3 (67%) become addicted

why are people addicted to nicotine

acetylcholine is tightly linked to reward and dopamine (positive reward model). easy to get animals to self-administer. also physical dependence model with withdrawal

caffeine on the brain

blocks activity of adenosine receptors. in higher doses blocks GABA, stimulates depolarization, increase action potentials with calcium

"wide awake" drunk

caffeine counteracts the effects of alcohol, you feel sober but you are impaired and can do risky behaviors like driving

Medicinal value of nicotine

could help headaches and weight loss historically, but not much value since 1890s

health benefits of caffeine

daily coffee decreases likelihood of liver cancer rectal cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's Disease (small effect)

caffeine withdrawal

fatigue, headache (still prevalent with placebo)

John Oliver: big companies and cigarettes

governments started to regulate in Western countries so they moved to unregulated places such as India

how lethal is nicotine

highly toxic and relatively low lethal dose. high absorption rate

nicotine and cognition

improves attention and response time

health risks of caffeine

increase cholesterol, osteoporosis, gastrointestinal problems, maybe gestational

health and neural effects of nicotine addiction

increased risk of many health problems. permanent neural changes in prefrontal cortex, more nicotinic receptors

treatments for nicotine abuse and effectiveness

largely involve nicotine in controlled amounts, behavioral interventions largely ineffective. Chantix (nicotinic receptors and cholinergic system) and Zyban (dopamine)

effects of caffeine on the body

low dose creates stimulant effect but too much is counter-intuitive and activity decreases. also diuretic, increase HR and BP. impairs ability to make decisions

too much caffeine - intoxication

more than 1000mg per day. looks like anxiety disorder, cardiac arrhythmias

what makes cigarettes toxic

nicotine is very toxic plus tar, carbon monoxide, ammonia, acetone and other

how does nicotine act in the brain

nicotinic receptors activate acetylcholine in ventral tegmental area, cause release of dopamine. crosses blood brain barrier in 7 seconds.

how common is caffeine use

very common, 80-90% of US population but difficult to assess because multiple products

How common is smoking (age, sex, education)

very common, mostly men. women smoke less but feel effects more. higher education means less likely to smoke

adenosine

when it hits the receptor it makes you drowsy. low doses of coffee act as stimulant, high makes you drowsy

Historical smoking trend

1900 not very prevalent, huge increase after WWI. 1950s smoking linked to lung cancer then filtered cigarettes and advertising. still used a lot but becoming less prevalent over time