Lerman is director of cancer genetics at the Lombardi Cancer Center of Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington. Her work and a follow-up study by Dr. Dean Hamer of the National Cancer Institute and colleagues appear in this month's issue of the journal Health Psychology. It's at least the third gene to show evidence of an effect on smoking. Scientists hope that by understanding such biological influences, they can tailor treatments to particular smokers and get hints for finding better therapies. I do not accept their conclusions,'' he said.
Nicotine causes a surge of a substance called dopamine between certain brain cells.
That feels good to the brain, so it encourages addiction. Brain cells use squirts of dopamine to communicate, and the gene in the new research tells brain cells how to make a structure called a transporter that mops the chemical up. Lerman and colleagues theorize that it leads to a less efficient dopamine transporter, which leaves more dopamine between the brain cells. That might reduce a person's desire to pump up dopamine levels by using nicotine, they suggest. Hamer's team found that people with the apparently protective version of the gene scored lower than other people on novelty-seeking, a personality trait that includes impulsiveness and an interest in experiencing new sensations.