Nicotine & the Brain
Increase in Nicotine
Receptors Makes Quitting
Harder Smokers have more
nicotine receptors in their
brains than nonsmokers,
making it more difficult for
them to quit, according to
researchers at Yale
University. Researchers
used brain-scanning
technology to compare the
nicotine receptors of 16
smokers who had
abstained for four days
with scans from a group of
16 nonsmokers. They
found that the density of
common nicotine receptors
was higher among smokers
during early abstinence,
contributing to withdrawal
symptoms. “Nicotine
craving is an important
factor associated with
relapse,” said lead author
Julie Staley. “This study
paves the way for
determining whether
medications normalize the
number of receptors and
why some smokers
