1) Stimulants are drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body functions, including nicotine, caffeine, amphetamines, and ecstasy. 2) Nicotine is the active ingredient in tobacco and has effects on acetylcholine receptors in the brain. Smoking increases nicotine and receptor levels in brain areas involved in movement and cognition. 3) Quitting smoking provides significant health benefits and reduces risks of cancer, heart disease, and other conditions, according to statistical studies of doctors and other populations, though the psychology of decision making makes continuing smoking seem less risky.

1. Drugs &
Behavior II:
Stimulants
Brian J. Piper, Ph.D.

2. Stimulants
Stimulants are drugs that excite neural activity and
speed up body functions. Examples of stimulants
are:
1. Nicotine
2. Caffeine
3. Amphetamines
4. Ecstasy (?)

3. Prevalence

4. 3.2
Drug Distribution
• Nicotine: active ingredient of Jean Nicot
tobacco leaves 1530-1600
– half-life: 2 hours Nicotiana
– 1 cigarette = 9 mg
• Cotinine: inactive metabolite of
nicotine
– half-life: 20 hours

5. Nicotine by Route of Administration
Blood nicotine after smoking 1.33 cigarettes for 9 minutes (upper left) or 2.5 g oral snuff
(upper right), 7.9 g chewing tobacco (lower left), two-2 mg pieces of nicotine gum for 30 minutes
Hukkanen, et al. (2005) Pharmacology Reviews, 57: 79-115.

6. Nicotine over 24 hours
• Cotinine > Nicotine
• Steady state during day
Benowitz et al. (1983) Circadian blood concentrations of nicotine and cotinine during
unrestricted smoking. Clin Pharmacol Ther 34: 604-611.

7. 3.3
Smoking and the Brain: Acetylcholine
• Vagusstoff: Otto Loewi
• Function: movement &
cognition
• Nicotinic ACh receptor
CH3 O
| ||
CH3 – N - CH2 - CH2 – O – C - CH3
|
CH3
For more details, see: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chnt1.html

8. 3.3 Smoking increases nACh
• Smoking increases receptor
levels in human post-mortem
tissue in hippocampus (top) and
thalamus (bottom).
Breese et al. JPET (1997) 282, 7-13. Non-Sm Smoker Ex-smoker

9. Why Do People Smoke?

10. Risks of Smoking: Statistics
• There are three types of lies: lies, damn lies, and
statistics (Mark Twain/Leonard Courtney)
• Absolute Risk: Rate of condition/total population
studied
• Relative Risk: Rate of condition among exposed
divided by rate of condition among unexposed
see Statistics.ppt for additional information

11. Psychology of Decision Making: Smoking & Lung-Cancer
Non-Smokers Smokers
Death from Lung-Cancer 10 100
Non-Death from 99,990 99,900
Lung-Cancer
Total 100,000 100,000
Relative Risk of Death: Smokers Odds of Lung Cancer Death 100/100,000 or .001
Non-Smokers Odds of Lung Cancer Death of 10/100,000 or .0001
.001/.0001 = 10 Fold!
Absolute Risk of Non-Death: Smokers: 99.90%
Non-Smokes: 99.99%

12. Fig 1 Survival from age 60 for continuing cigarette smokers and lifelong non-smokers among UK
male doctors born 1851-1899 (median 1889) and 1900-1930 (median 1915), with percentages alive
at each decade of age
Why physicians?
Pipes & Cigar Cohort
Sir Richard Doll
Cigarette Cohort
Doll, R. et al. BMJ 2004;328:1519
1912-2005

13. But there’s good
news! 25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
Doll, R. et al. BMJ 2004;328:1519

14. Smoking & Pregnancy
• Risks of smoking:
– Spontaneous abortion: 26 weeks
– Small size: SGA
– SIDS: 1 month to 1 year
– Behavioral issues: ADHD
• Smoking Cessation:
– Nicotine Replacement
Therapy
NHSDUH, 2011

15. Dose Related?
• Online study with Craigslist volunteers
• Behavioral Rating of Executive Function
Piper & Corbett (2012) Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 14, 191-199.

16. Benefits of Quitting Smoking
• Hypothesis: Smoking
during pregnancy,
but not quitting, has
negative outcomes
• Online study of non-
smokers, smokers,
quitters
Piper et al. (2012). Drug & Alcohol Dependence, 121, 62-67.

17. 0.6
Nicotine by College Plans

18. Child Endangerment
• Toddler Smoking: 2 min
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4c_wI6kQyE

19. Insula

20. Lesions of Insula
• Smoking following brain
damage was examined in
patients with insula
damage.
Naqvi et al. (2007). Science, 315, 531-534.

21. Lesions of Insula
• Smoking following brain damage was
examined in patients with insula damage.
• He quit because his “body forgot the urge to
smoke”
Naqvi et al. (2007). Science, 315, 531-534.

22. Summary
• Neurochemistry: Acetylcholine (& dopamine)
• Public Health Statistics

23. Cocaine
Cocaine induces immediate euphoria followed by a crash.
Crack, a form of cocaine, can be smoked. Other forms of
cocaine can be sniffed or injected.
http://www.ohsinc.com

24. Nicotine by College
Plans