BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that cigarette smoking among subjects with major depression is a form of self-medication. To explore a possible biological basis for this hypothesis, noradrenergic proteins in the locus coeruleus (LC) were measured in long-term cigarette smokers and in nonsmokers. The LC was studied because elevated amounts of alpha2-adrenoceptors and tyrosine hydroxylase have been observed postmortem in the LCs of subjects with major depression or who commit suicide, and because long-term administration of antidepressant drugs to rats down-regulates these proteins in the LC. METHODS: Postmortem LCs were obtained from long-term cigarette smokers (n=7) and from nonsmokers (n = 9), all of whom lacked diagnoses of major depression. Amounts of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity and radioligand binding to the norepinephrine transporter, monoamine oxidase A, and alpha2-adrenoceptors were measured. RESULTS: Amounts of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity and radioligand binding to alpha2-adrenoceptors were significantly lower (approximately 60% and 40%, respectively) along the axis of the LCs of long-term smokers compared with nonsmokers. Smoking had no statistically significant effects on binding to monoamine oxidase A or to the norepinephrine transporter. CONCLUSION: This is the first demonstration that cigarette smoking affects noradrenergic proteins in the LC. The direction of these changes is opposite to that observed when comparing subjects who have major depression with normal controls and the same as that produced by long-term antidepressant treatment in animals. If the present observations reflect long-term effects of smoking on premortem noradrenergic biochemistry, smoking-induced changes in LC biochemistry may strengthen the smoking habit among subjects with major depression.
BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that cigarette smoking among subjects with major depression is a form of self-medication. To explore a possible biological basis for this hypothesis, noradrenergic proteins in the locus coeruleus (LC) were measured in long-term cigarette smokers and in nonsmokers. The LC was studied because elevated amounts of alpha2-adrenoceptors and tyrosine hydroxylase have been observed postmortem in the LCs of subjects with major depression or who commit suicide, and because long-term administration of antidepressant drugs to rats down-regulates these proteins in the LC. METHODS: Postmortem LCs were obtained from long-term cigarette smokers (n=7) and from nonsmokers (n = 9), all of whom lacked diagnoses of major depression. Amounts of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity and radioligand binding to the norepinephrine transporter, monoamine oxidase A, and alpha2-adrenoceptors were measured. RESULTS: Amounts of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity and radioligand binding to alpha2-adrenoceptors were significantly lower (approximately 60% and 40%, respectively) along the axis of the LCs of long-term smokers compared with nonsmokers. Smoking had no statistically significant effects on binding to monoamine oxidase A or to the norepinephrine transporter. CONCLUSION: This is the first demonstration that cigarette smoking affects noradrenergic proteins in the LC. The direction of these changes is opposite to that observed when comparing subjects who have major depression with normal controls and the same as that produced by long-term antidepressant treatment in animals. If the present observations reflect long-term effects of smoking on premortem noradrenergic biochemistry, smoking-induced changes in LC biochemistry may strengthen the smoking habit among subjects with major depression.
Authors: He Zhu; Beata Karolewicz; Emily Nail; Craig A Stockmeier; Katalin Szebeni; Gregory A Ordway Journal: Brain Res Date: 2006-11-21 Impact factor: 3.252
Authors: Terril L Verplaetse; Andrea H Weinberger; Lindsay M Oberleitner; Kathryn Mz Smith; Brian P Pittman; Julia M Shi; Jeanette M Tetrault; Meaghan E Lavery; Marina R Picciotto; Sherry A McKee Journal: J Psychopharmacol Date: 2017-04-25 Impact factor: 4.153
Authors: Shakevia Johnson; Craig A Stockmeier; Jeffrey H Meyer; Mark C Austin; Paul R Albert; Junming Wang; Warren L May; Grazyna Rajkowska; James C Overholser; George Jurjus; Lesa Dieter; Chandra Johnson; Donald B Sittman; Xiao-Ming Ou Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology Date: 2011-06-08 Impact factor: 7.853
Authors: Terril L Verplaetse; Andrea H Weinberger; Philip H Smith; Kelly P Cosgrove; Yann S Mineur; Marina R Picciotto; Carolyn M Mazure; Sherry A McKee Journal: Nicotine Tob Res Date: 2015-03-11 Impact factor: 4.244
Authors: Hanga Galfalvy; Dianne Currier; Maria A Oquendo; Gregory Sullivan; Yung-Yu Huang; J John Mann Journal: Int J Neuropsychopharmacol Date: 2009-07-02 Impact factor: 5.176
Authors: Tomasz Gos; Dieter Krell; Hendrik Bielau; Ralf Brisch; Kurt Trübner; Johann Steiner; Hans-Gert Bernstein; Zbigniew Jankowski; Bernhard Bogerts Journal: Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci Date: 2008-06-20 Impact factor: 5.270