Nicotinic receptor-mediated effects on appetite and food intake.
It is well known, although not well understood, that smoking and eating just do not go together. Smoking is associated with decreased food intake and lower body weight. Nicotine, administered either by smoking or by smokeless routes, is considered the major appetite-suppressing component of tobacco. Perhaps the most renowned example of nicotine's influence on appetite and feeding behavior is the significant weight gain associated with smoking cessation. This article presents an overview of the literature at, or near, the interface of nicotinic receptors and appetite regulation. We first consider some of the possible sites of nicotine's action along the complex network of neural and non-neural regulators of feeding. We then present the hypothesis that the lateral hypothalamus is a particularly important locus of the anorectic effects of nicotine. Finally, we discuss the potential role of endogenous cholinergic systems in motivational feeding, focusing on cholinergic pathways in the lateral hypothalamus.
Jo
Young-Hwan
YH
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, in the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia, University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Talmage
David A
DA
Role
Lorna W
LW
D000818:Animals; D001069:Appetite Regulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects*; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000378:metabolism; D012907:Smoking
D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D009538:Nicotine