American scientists have discovered receptors that provide a person's addiction to nicotine. As expected, they were mutant nicotinic cholinergic receptors. As you know, the effect of nicotine on a person is due to the activation of nicotinic cholinergic receptors of the nervous system - this fact has been proven for several decades.

However, scientists could not figure out why, on some people, nicotine had practically no effect, while in others, on the contrary, it quickly became addictive and dependent. It was assumed that the basis of this phenomenon is some kind of mutation of nicotinic receptors, which increases their sensitivity to exogenous nicotine. This hypothesis was confirmed.

As shown by researchers from the Californian Institute of Technology, an increase in sensitivity to nicotine leads to a mutation of the gene that codes for the alpha 4-subunit of the receptor.

Its presence in the genome means that the animal or person will be practically defenseless before the action of nicotine. And if a person with such a mutation smokes at least one cigarette - he will inevitably become an active smoker and is unlikely to ever be able to give up this harmful habit.

Medicus. En.

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