Posts Tagged ‘Neuron’
Nicotine coaxes the brain
Researchers point out that environmental signals stimulate craving.
Researchers found that nicotine, the addictive component in cigarettes, “fool” the brain and memory to create associations between environmental cues and smoking behavior. This may explain why former smokers miss when lighting a cigarette in a bar or after eating.
The findings of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine published in the September 10 edition of the journal Neuron.
“Our brain normally establishes these associations between things that give support to our existence and environmental signals so that we have behaviors that lead us to have successful lives. The brain sends a signal of reward when we act in a way that contributes to our welfare “said co-author, Dr. John A. Dani, professor of neuroscience at BCM, in a press release from the university. “However, nicotine usurps this subconscious learning process in the brain, so we started to behave as if smoking was a positive action.” Read the rest of this entry »