Why do we even have...

[jtpjc]

...nicotine receptors?

 

[Rocketpunk]

I don't think they're necessarily made just for nicotine. I think they just kinda fire when exposed to the nicotine compound. Just like the brain isn't wired for illicit drugs... they (illicit drugs, or any drug for that matter, legal or illegal) just possess certain chemical compounds that, when broken down, interact with our synapses and pleasure/reward centers.

But then again, I'm no biology major, and I'm most likely speakin' out of my wazoo.

 

[eHuman]

Gotta ask the OEM, there's a purpose for everything.

 

[tj99959]

A4B2 and A6B2

We have those receptors because nicotine is part of our normal diet.

 

[Rocketpunk]

Gotta ask the OEM, there's a purpose for everything.

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer? As in God?

I like that term.

 

[Rocketpunk]

because nicotine is part of our normal diet.

Would you mind elaborating further, please?

EDIT: Not being rude, vocal intonation doesn't come across well electronically. I meant that in an inquisitive tone.

 

[joyetechclouds]

Nicotine can be found naturally in tomatoes and other various vegetables. I cant remember which ones.

 

[OttoBahn]

We don't have nicotine receptors (per say), we happen to have a certain type of receptor(s) that also react (open) to nicotine.

Brain chemistry; changed/altered by many substances (good/neutral/bad.)

 

[tj99959]

Would you mind elaborating further, please?

EDIT: Not being rude, vocal intonation doesn't come across well electronically. I meant that in an inquisitive tone.

Roly already did in another thread, so I'll just repost it.

Nicotine is the only consumer stimulant that is an entirely natural and normal part of the diet - it is contained in many vegetables, and every single person tested in all the large-cohort clinical trials that tested for nicotine has always tested positive. To deny its value or question its safety, in dietary quantities, is the equivalent, in every way, of saying that vitamin D or copper are dangerous, toxic, alien chemicals. They are certainly dangerous in large amounts - but so is everything.

Where nicotine is questioned as a safe or normal material for consumption, the effects of propaganda are evident. There is nothing wrong with nicotine in dietary quantities, and everyone tests positive for it (unless they eat no vegetables) at a value of approximately 2ng/ml of blood plasma. This is commonly referred to as the 'background level' in blood tests for nicotine to determine smoking status, and a smoker can be identified by values generally higher than 10ng/ml.

Nicotine is co-located in plants that supply vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid, a related compound that in some cases can be a metabolyte of nicotine. Very little research has been done on the body's need for nicotine, especially from certain subgroup's point of view, but it is well known that nicotinic acid (aka niacin, an acronym of nicotinic acid) is a required vitamin, and lack of it causes a nutritional deficiency. Some individuals are shown to have a requirement for additional B3 and may take supplements of up to 2,000mg daily to assist with cognitive issues and work capacity. As yet no proper research has been carried out on whether nicotine may have a similar role in terms of cognitive function for certain individuals versus the dietary amount delivered. Many of us believe that it does have such a role.

Long-term ad lib consumption of nicotine has been proven (not just demonstrated) to be virtually without risk by the epidemiology and national health statistics from Sweden, where Snus consumers have been monitored by over 150 clinical studies for several decades. A slight increase in risk for stroke appears just above the background noise, in the giant-scale meta-analyses of dozens of studies.

Nicotine is conflated with smoking, by tradition, which is why the first researchers in a large-scale trial who found that everyone tests positive for nicotine assumed that everyone is exposed to ETS (2nd hand smoke). A good knowledge of nutrition does not seem to have been necessary for a doctor's qualification until fairly recently, and even now it seems a Cinderella science. When the propaganda is also added to the mix, an honest appreciation of issues surrounding nicotine consumption becomes rather difficult. What we do know is that every healthy person consumes it; some may need more than others, as is common for many dietary components; and consuming a lot of it in the long term appears relatively safe at population level.

Individuals, though, may need to take account of their own medical situation and perhaps especially their family genetics. Cardiac and vascular issues appearing more commonly than the norm might be a sign that moderation is in order. Until there is more real research, unaffected by commercial interests, we don't really know which individuals should be more careful than the majority. Nicotine is just another normal dietary ingredient that is toxic in large quantities - and that is about the only point of agreement at present.

 

[Bullette the Cowdog]

Gotta ask the OEM, there's a purpose for everything.

LOL. Love it eHuman.
Mind if I quote you on occasion? Would like to take that as my own, but you may have it copyrighted...wouldn't want to infringe on a copyright or nuthin'

Woof!

 

[Thucydides]

Same reason we have ...... receptors: dumb luck.

 

[DC2]

Read post #9 above.

 

[eHuman]

LOL. Love it eHuman.
Mind if I quote you on occasion? Would like to take that as my own, but you may have it copyrighted...wouldn't want to infringe on a copyright or nuthin'

Woof!

Everything good and perfect that comes from the OEM is free. To us anyways. Quote away.

 

[CES]

Ok, so....

nicotine receptors are receptors that naturally respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. The were named nicotinic receptors because they also are activated by nicotine. nicotinic receptors of one sort or another are present in insects and lots of critters, including people. They were first isolated and identified from the torpedo ray...

another type of acetylcholine receptors are named muscarinic receptors because they are activated by muscarine, a compound that comes from the amanita muscaria mushroom.

but we're not talking about them, so back to nicotinic receptors.

So, acetylcholine and nicotinic receptors are responsible for muscle contraction. That's why curare , a poison (poison darts anyone?) that blocks nicotinic receptors, causes paralysis and death.

But what we're really interested in is why we have them in the brain. Acetylcholine (the transmitter the brain uses to activate nicotinic receptors when there's no nicotine around) is involved in learning and memory, and modulating a host of other brain functions, including waking and dreaming. Nicotinic receptors of various types are expressed throughout the cortex, the hippocampus, and in the brain pathways associated with pleasure and reward.

When we vape, we activate the nicotinic receptors in the brain (don't ask me why vaping doesn't seem to affect muscle contraction, cause I'd just have to make up an answer). In particular, the brain pathways associated with pleasure and reward are the ones we notice. Feels kind of good, no? These are the same pathways associated with pleasure from food and sex.

That's the addictive piece. Things that activate those pathways should be treated with care, be it chocolate, caffeine, gambing, sex, nicotine or other substances that would be bleeped by the forum censor. Many of the substances that can't be named also destroy those pathways and other brain regions- so are really, really bad. But others, like nicotine and caffeine maybe not so much.

 

[kiwivap]

Great post CES.

 

[Rocketpunk]

CES, you're awesome. And thank you.

 

[FranC]

Nice CES!!!!!!!!!!!!