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Nicotine Shown To Reduce Symptoms of Schizophrenia (newatlas.com)
New submitter future guy quotes a report from New Atlas: A meta-analysis of worldwide studies conducted in 2005 definitively showed what many doctors had been anecdotally noting for decades. Schizophrenia patients were much more likely to become heavy smokers than than those in the general population. In fact some studies found over 80 percent of those diagnosed with schizophrenia were smokers. There were many social and psychological hypotheses proposed to explain this strange anomaly, but none were ever sufficient. A new study published in Nature Medicine has not only revealed how smoking can normalize the impairments in brain activity associated with schizophrenia, but unlocks an entirely new field of drug research to combat the disease. The study expanded on the recent discovery of a genetic mutation, labelled CHRNA5, that was identified as being associated with the cognitive impairments seen in schizophrenic patients. The scientists took mice with the CHRNA5 gene variant and discovered they displayed similar characteristics to those suffering from schizophrenia, such as an inability to suppress a startle response and an aversion to social interaction. Using brain imaging technologies the research team discovered the mice with the CHRNA5 gene variant displayed symptoms of hypofrontality, a state of decreased blood flow in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Hypofrontality is commonly thought to be a prominent cause of many symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as being associated with other psychiatric conditions including Bipolar Disorder and ADHD. As well as identifying the role this gene variant plays in causing hypofrontality, the study examined how nicotine acted to restore normal activity to the prefrontal cortex. The researchers found that within one week of daily nicotine dosing the impaired brain activity in mice with schizophrenic characteristics had normalized.
Interesting, I suspect that increased Norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex mediated by the activation of Nicotinic receptors increases prefrontal cortical control over the limbic system. I wonder if Atomoxetine would do the same thing.
Weirdly enough the lung cancer rate of schizophrenics is significantly lower than the population as a whole despite a higher than normal rate of smoking. http://www.schizophrenia.com/s...
Interestingly they also have lower rates of rheumatoid arthritis. Presumably there's a link between the immune system and schizophrenia.
I have a cousin with schizophrenia. He was institutionalized for a few years. I visited him regularly and ended up volunteering to help out at the psych ward. Over time, I met more than a hundred patients. I would say 80-90% of them smoked or used nicotine patches (which were free while cigarettes were not). Compare that to about 11% smokers for the state (California) or 15% for the whole country. This was all back before vaping, which should be a big help for these people, since they can get their nicotine fix without all the crap in tobacco smoke.
So, smoking tobacco may cure religion.
Interesting, I suspect that increased Norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex mediated by the activation of Nicotinic receptors increases prefrontal cortical control over the limbic system. I wonder if Atomoxetine would do the same thing.
Also see this earlier Slashdot article: https://science.slashdot.org/s...
On that article I responded to:
The title says peppers but it says nicotine is actually the chemical at work. There are actually a few positive effects nicotine possesses, the negative effects of smoking are mediated by the oxidation products of cigarettes.
Which makes me wonder if electronic cigarette products may not only be not bad for you, but even potentially beneficial as they give you a low dose of nicotine through vaporization without the oxidation caused by burning.
https://slashdot.org/comments....
Big apple, new Yorik, undig it, something's unrotting in Edenmark.