Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Jul 2008
ReviewTobacco/nicotine and endogenous brain opioids.
Smoking is a major public health problem with devastating health consequences. Although many cigarette smokers are able to quit, equal numbers of others cannot. ⋯ These include: especially dopamine, but also norepinephrine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, acetylcholine, endogenous opioids, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, and endocannabinoids. The present review examines the limited contribution of the endogenous opioid system to the complex effects of nicotine/tobacco smoking.