Fascinating Study On Nicotine & GABA

aguineapig

Member
Joined
May 16, 2019
Messages
159
Exploring the schizophrenic propensity towards cigarette binges led to this very interesting study.

It seems to show that nicotine simply optimizes/removes obstacles of endogenous GABA production rather than acting as a GABA agonist, which is ostensibly much less dicey than direct agonism since there are feedback loops to limit endogenous production, and we all know the potential problems with GABAergic withdrawals when people are too heavy handed with them.

I am very curious if niacinamide acts through a similar mechanism, thus perhaps explaining it's anxiolytic/ GABAergic effect despite only minor observable binding affinity? If the case that would make B3 a very safe upstream GABA option.

Why Schizophrenics Smoke

Full study

From the Cover: Nicotine decreases DNA methyltransferase 1 expression and glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 promoter methylation in GABAergic interneurons
 

LeeLemonoil

Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2016
Messages
4,265
Cool beans. No wonder tobacco is in use for millenia.
I doubt though that Nicotinic acid-amine acts the same.
 
OP
A

aguineapig

Member
Joined
May 16, 2019
Messages
159
Cool beans. No wonder tobacco is in use for millenia.
I doubt though that Nicotinic acid-amine acts the same.

This study is unfortunately inaccessible, but this article going over their findings suggests that pharmaceutical isolated nicotine, at least, clears the way for GABA.

Nicotine has significant effects on brain GABA

"Researchers gave people who smoked regularly nicotine inhalers that deliver the same amount of the drug as in one cigarette. The amount of GABA in the subjects' brains rose about 10%, but the brain was found to make GABA four times faster after using the inhalers, and the rate of new GABA generation remained high for at least 45 minutes. In other words, keeping the supply of GABA levels high has the potential to reduce the pleasurable effects of smoking, in terms of duration and intensity."

The last sentence is simply alluding to various GABA agonists reducing the urge to smoke.

I do think harm reduced whole leaf tobacco is the most wide spectrum of effect, but nicotine on its own has substantial efficacy, and may be less addictive. Although, it could also be that it's simply less broadly medicinal and thus fewer latent conditions are re exposed upon cessation (I think a huge swath of the more chronic "withdrawal symptoms" are as such).

Always such an interesting subject!
 

SOMO

Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2018
Messages
1,094
This study is unfortunately inaccessible, but this article going over their findings suggests that pharmaceutical isolated nicotine, at least, clears the way for GABA.

Nicotine has significant effects on brain GABA

"Researchers gave people who smoked regularly nicotine inhalers that deliver the same amount of the drug as in one cigarette. The amount of GABA in the subjects' brains rose about 10%, but the brain was found to make GABA four times faster after using the inhalers, and the rate of new GABA generation remained high for at least 45 minutes. In other words, keeping the supply of GABA levels high has the potential to reduce the pleasurable effects of smoking, in terms of duration and intensity."

The last sentence is simply alluding to various GABA agonists reducing the urge to smoke.

I do think harm reduced whole leaf tobacco is the most wide spectrum of effect, but nicotine on its own has substantial efficacy, and may be less addictive. Although, it could also be that it's simply less broadly medicinal and thus fewer latent conditions are re exposed upon cessation (I think a huge swath of the more chronic "withdrawal symptoms" are as such).

Always such an interesting subject!


I disagree that Nicotine is less addictive than tobacco.

You can intake a lot of nicotine via e-cigs, but taking huge hits of a cigarette will often result in vomiting, nausea and/or vertigo/dizziness.
 
OP
A

aguineapig

Member
Joined
May 16, 2019
Messages
159
I disagree that Nicotine is less addictive than tobacco.

You can intake a lot of nicotine via e-cigs, but taking huge hits of a cigarette will often result in vomiting, nausea and/or vertigo/dizziness.

So you are saying that isolated nicotine is able to be consumed in larger quantities, leading to a higher tolerance perhaps? I do think the ability to consume larger amounts without feedback could lead to more physical dependence.

I've had plenty of run ins with nicotine sickness myself with various forms of tobacco so I know the symptoms you describe well..

This is an interesting study about nicotine administered alone and with an MAO-I, and the difference in reinforcing effect.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibition Dramatically Increases the Motivation to Self-Administer Nicotine in Rats
 
OP
A

aguineapig

Member
Joined
May 16, 2019
Messages
159
Is there a way to recreate this without smoking or taking nicotine?

*Possibly* niacinamide? We have no evidence that it has the same effect on DMNT1 and GAD67. But there is evidence that it has some GABA related effects that are kind of mysterious and Ill-understood. Would love to see a study done.
 

Peatogenic

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2017
Messages
746
Not just schizophrenics, nicotine is apparently a thyroid surrogate. And there's studies that show metabolic disorders forming when people quit cold turkey.
 

yeggim

Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2016
Messages
42
Age
71
Location
Philly
I disagree that Nicotine is less addictive than tobacco.

You can intake a lot of nicotine via e-cigs, but taking huge hits of a cigarette will often result in vomiting, nausea and/or vertigo/dizziness.
Nicotine delivery via e-cigs is less than a real cigarette. The absorption rate of vapor is less than half of smoke. Personally speaking I can say that isolated nicotine is definitely less addicting than smoking. I can go for hours and hours without vaping. Could never do that when smoking

There are studies that show that nicotine is effective at ameliorating IBS. In those studies non smokers did not pick up smoking after treatment with nicotine patches.
 
Back
Top Bottom