{"id":3989,"date":"2017-03-17T20:32:01","date_gmt":"2017-03-17T20:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3989"},"modified":"2017-03-17T20:32:01","modified_gmt":"2017-03-17T20:32:01","slug":"tobacco-and-schizophrenia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3989","title":{"rendered":"Tobacco and schizophrenia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

An interesting study about the ties between smoking and schizophrenia.<\/a><\/p>\n

Studies have shown for years that a really large percentage of people with diagnosed mental illnesses are smokers. According to one study, as many as 90 percent of schizophrenics are cigarette smokers. There may be a real tangible reason for that — that the nicotine really might be providing some relief from their symptoms.<\/p>\n

A recent study in Nature Medicine suggests that nicotine is a form of self-medication and perhaps can calm some of the symptoms of schizophrenia.<\/p>\n

From this Raw Story article:<\/p>\n

“An international team of scientists says it may be able to explain why so many schizophrenics are heavy smokers \u2014 the addictive nicotine in cigarettes is boosting an area of their brains that becomes sluggish due to their illness. The researchers also suggest a particular genetic mutation has been found to cause that sluggish activity, which can occur in other mental conditions as well. A study in Nature Medicine<\/em><\/a>\u00a0says the findings may guide future drug developments.<\/p>\n

Read: <\/em><\/strong>Antibodies Linked to Schizophrenia Onset<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The root of their experiment was something called hypofrontality<\/a>, which is decreased activity in the brain\u2019s prefrontal cortex<\/a> that leads to cognitive issues like troubles with memory and decision-making. By studying mice, the scientists from Institut Pasteur in Paris and from the University of Colorado at Boulder showed that the CHRNA5 genetic mutation, previously linked to a greater risk of schizophrenia, is also linked to that decreased function in the frontal lobe, the University of Colorado said in a statement<\/a>. They also say nicotine reverses this problem, at least in the mice, because the addictive chemical\u00a0acts on \u201creceptors in regions of the brain key to healthy cognitive function.<\/p>\n

The benefits of the findings extend beyond just schizophrenia \u2014 hypofrontality is an issue in other mental health issues like addiction and bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically the nicotine is compensating for a genetically determined impairment,\u201d Jerry Stitzel, a researcher from Boulder said in his university\u2019s statement.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, it’s possible that nicotine, as bad as it is for regular smokers, might actually have some benefits for the severely mentally ill. More research is needed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An interesting study about the ties between smoking and schizophrenia. Studies have shown for years that a really large percentage of people with diagnosed mental illnesses are smokers. According to one study, as many as 90 percent of schizophrenics are cigarette smokers. There may be a real tangible reason for that — that the nicotine … Continue reading Tobacco and schizophrenia<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[853],"tags":[854],"class_list":["post-3989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-smoking-and-mental-illness","tag-smoking-and-mental-illness"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/natural-treatment-for-schizophrenia-India.jpg?fit=938%2C346&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4hpEa-12l","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4078,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=4078","url_meta":{"origin":3989,"position":0},"title":"Advertising campaign: Big Tobacco targets the mentally ill","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"September 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a really shocking statistic: It's estimated that over 70 percent of schizophrenics smoke and thatover 60 percent of people with bipolar disorder smoke. The rate of smoking for people with PTSD and clinical depression is believed to be around 50 percent. That's while the smoking rate overall is roughly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Truth.org"","block_context":{"text":"Truth.org","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=345"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/nicotine-1.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2373,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=2373","url_meta":{"origin":3989,"position":1},"title":"Study: Smoking may increase risk of suicide","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"July 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Interesting story from Epoch Times. According to a Washington University study, smoking may actually contribute to the risk of suicide. And that policies that work to reduce smoking rates such as cigarette taxes and smoking bans might also reduce the number of suicides. I know that sounds nuts, but there\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "nicotine"","block_context":{"text":"nicotine","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=260"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/shutterstock_176089412-676x450.jpg?fit=676%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/shutterstock_176089412-676x450.jpg?fit=676%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/shutterstock_176089412-676x450.jpg?fit=676%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4337,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=4337","url_meta":{"origin":3989,"position":2},"title":"Mixed signals on smoking and COVID-19","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"May 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I haven't done an update for a while. I've been pretty busy, then like most people, my life has been upended by the effects of the COVID-19 virus and blogging took a backseat. Then, in late April, our blog was hacked. By someone in China using our blog to sell\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "COVID-19"","block_context":{"text":"COVID-19","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=924"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/111263590_060637102.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/111263590_060637102.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/111263590_060637102.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/111263590_060637102.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3861,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3861","url_meta":{"origin":3989,"position":3},"title":"Study: No suicide risk for anti-smoking medications Chantix or Zyban","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"April 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"There has long been a lot of controversy swirling about Chantix because of concerns that it raises people's risk of suicide. I had not heard the same thing about Zyban, but apparently there have been concerns about this drug, too. The concerns were serious enough that warnings were required on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Chantix"","block_context":{"text":"Chantix","link":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?cat=805"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Chantix_1.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Chantix_1.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Chantix_1.jpg?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3805,"url":"https:\/\/pepesnonsmokingpartytimelounge.com\/?p=3805","url_meta":{"origin":3989,"position":4},"title":"Study: Going cold turkey most effective way to quit cigarettes","author":"Pepe Lepew","date":"March 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"An article in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers say that data shows that quitting cigarettes -- and nicotine -- cold turkey is basically the most effective way to get off cigarettes. 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