Word: bupropion
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Reporting this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry, scientists describe for the first time a set of genes, about 100 in all, that seem to predict how well a smoker will respond to two different types of quitting programs - nicotine replacement or bupropion (Zyban). Nicotine-replacement methods, including the patch, pill and gum, work by weaning the smoker off nicotine gradually, usually over a period of weeks or months. Bupropion, on the other hand, is an antidepressant, which does not contain nicotine; instead, it works to curb nicotine cravings by interfering with the reward circuit in the brain, where...
...Cessation Research, have begun doing just that. In their new study, the scientists screened the entire human genome and teased out a profile of genes that they think are involved in breaking nicotine addiction. Some of the genes influence basic cell communication; others code for enzymes that break down bupropion in the body. Everyone possesses all the genes in question, says Rose, but in different forms, or versions, which either amplify or dampen their effects. "We're going to see a lot more studies like this now, because the tools are there," says Dr. Normal Edelman, chief medical officer...
Rose found that people with genes that more efficiently code for bupropion breakdown respond better to the drug, while people with genetic variants that improve cell communication - also called adhesion - seem to have an easier time overall in quitting. That makes sense, since addictive behaviors such as smoking are deeply ingrained in the brain, and are strongly tied to social and environmental triggers. That network of neural connections, once cemented, is tough to break. But having certain versions of genes that facilitate neural flexibility - easing the uncoupling of certain brain connections and replacing them with new habits - could, says Rose...
...STUDY Columbia University researchers report that African Americans and Hispanics have a harder time quitting smoking than whites do. After eight weeks of treatment with a combination of bupropion, the nicotine patch and counseling, about 40% of smokers in the minority groups were able to remain smoke-free for four weeks, compared with 60% of the white group...