Tobacco Documents Online

4 1cotine of t.he brain' resea-rched '` j9y JACK JONES - Gannett News Service : '`-"-TtQCHESTER, N.Y. - Twa :scientists here think tlte jpicotine habit may be, :. = quite'; literally, all In the smoker's head. A'inajor implication of res~a~ch conducted by Pro- ,fessors Leo G. Abood and : VOd E. Scott Is that the b~a~njtself may manufac- ture." a nicotine-like sub- stance that helps It perform some tasks. possible there are ebemical deficiencies in :,; spme;:; people that drive - them,;;to overuse tobacco and..:other drugs," Abood said.A' "When a chemical isn't;..naturally available In ~ sufficient quantities, the environment Is exploited to % find it:,, The University of Roch- ~; ester scientists say their work Is similar to research conducted In recent years ; that has found a form of morphine that occurs natu- ' rally in human and animal ; brains. ; The morphine-like sub- stances, called endophins -= ;"the morphine of the : hrain'.' - are chemically ' similar to addictive drugs ; extgcted from the opium pop~y, although the endo- ,phi.ns are thousands of times more powerful. P4armaceutical firms have begum testing endophins ; synthesized from animal brains In an effort to de- velop non-addictive pain relievers and anti-anxiety drugs. _ Scott, a ' professor of anatomy, and Abood, a pro- fessor of brain research and' biochemistry, haven't yet.isolated the "nicotine of the brain," .but "we're get- ting ciu.e," Abood said. The scientists say they hAve found chemical "foot- ---priiits'-at-the center of the braG6cells Indicating that niboEliie is one of the many ' sutstances •- incorporated M . .,.e.. .....:...:_~__:.. ... •c- mm tne numan cnemistry duiing evolution from pro- toplasm to modern man. . ` Those footprints are chemi- - cal receptors that bind spe- cifically with nicotine, like " a lock that can be opened only;by a particular key. ; ;It' was the discovery of morphine locks that led to ~ the discovery of endophin keys. When such locks are found,' scientists assume that, a natural key must be = nearby:. Otherwise, why 'would ! the" ' receptors be. there?" Scott`said. "Mother Nature doesn't do things ran- , ."domly. She 'usually has prQYty good reasons " iThat logic may also help expl,ain, why some people ' apparently , ;"need" . .. to ; sWKe while others don't. • The scientists' findings • rAsg the possibility that a - niCdtine substitute might br developed to "pick" nico- tine"locks in the brain with- out'icreating unhealthy side :effects such as cardiovas- ; cular''.and respiratory dis- ea`ses' associated with tobadco, .., ~'BUt there's another side to 4he research that Scott : said #s "a little bit frighten- ingr"'a- ~~ie scientists have : iound that nicotine recep- : tor~. are located at the .ge- ; neic-, heart of the brain ; cetlj,,where long strands of DIyA•ya• (deoxyribonucleic : acid~ provide the master program for cellular activi- ties,~+ ; Itiappears that nicotine may c.hange the basic ma- chinery clunery of neurons (brain cetls)) and alter the way they go about communicat- ing~rith each other," Scott said: "It has raised some. ser'ious Implications." »~>.~. ' The scientists have ob- served that nicotine lingers inL veils a relatively long : time.; "It stays around for r 20, or 30 minutes before it's ligd,up," said Scott. .