Learning Objectives: understand how basic science can contribute to treatment and prevention objectives
Abstract: The use of tobacco products is maintained by nicotine addiction. This panel will describe aspects of the action of nicotine within the brain. The presentations will be accessible to non-scientists, and are intended to give a clear understanding of basic research directions that may inform the prevention and treatment efforts of tomorrow. Dr. Tim Condon will chair the panel and provide an introductory overview. Dr. Marina Picciotto will describe the nature of nicotine’s “receptors”, or targets in the brain, and their responses to the drug. Dr. William Corrigall will summarize what is known from research with animals about the pathways in the brain that are involved in nicotine addiction. The emphasis in these first two presentations will be on the value of basic research in the development of medications for smoking cessation. Dr. Edythe London will show how information about the action of nicotine in the human brain can be obtained from brain imaging techniques, such as PET scans and MRI scans, and how this knowledge may advance treatment efforts in future.
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