Nicotine is the primary psychoactive substance in tobacco, and it exerts its effects by interaction with various subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the brain. One of the major subtypes expressed in brain, the α4β2-nAChR, endogenously modulates neuronal excitability and thereby, modifies certain normal as well as nicotine-induced behaviors. Although α4-containing nAChRs are widely…

Scientists from the Freie Universität Berlin have identified mechanisms regulating chemical neurotransmission in the nervous system Scientists from the Freie Universität Berlin and the NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, led by Volker Haucke in collaboration with colleagues from the Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) in Berlin, have unravelled a mechanism… Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/232135.php

NIH-funded scientists have developed a strain of mice with a built-in off switch that can selectively shut down the animals’ serotonin-producing cells, which make up a brain network controlling breathing, temperature regulation, and mood. The switch controls only the serotonin-producing cells, and does not affect any other cells in the animal’s brains or bodies… Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/231940.php