Nicotine is a potent centrally acting drug that has profound physiological and psychological effects. This book reviews the progress in identifying nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain. It uses the techniques of molecular biology to characterize these receptors and to investigate the functional differences between receptors.

Elucidation of the action of nicotine in the body is essential if treatments are to be developed to help people give up smoking; this book shows that advances in this area are being made, and contains contributions on potential therapeutic strategies.

Partial table of contents:Behavioral Pharmacology of Nicotine: Implications for Multiple Brain Nicotinic Receptors (I. Stolerman).Mechanism of Action of the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (J. Steinbach).Modulation of Nicotine Receptors by Chronic Exposure to Nicotinic Agonists and Antagonists (A. Collins, et al.).Regulation of Endocrine Function by the Nicotinic Cholinergic Receptor (K. Fuxe, et al.).Effects of Nicotine on Cerebral Metabolism (E. London).Mesolimbic Dopamine Activation--The Key to Nicotine Reinforcement?(P. Clarke).Effect of Nicotine on Dynamic Function of Brain Catecholamine Neurons (T. Svensson, et al.).Pharmacokinetic Considerations in Understanding Nicotine Dependence (N. Benowitz).Behavioral Studies in Humans: Anxiety, Stress and Smoking (O. Pomerleau &
C. Pomerleau).Index of Contributors.Subject Index.