Nicotine and Smokers Brains

Nicotine appears to build up gradually in smokers' brains.
The AP (3/9) reports that a Duke University study reveals that "nicotine builds up gradually in smokers' brains rather than spiking after each puff," a finding that may "help point to new ways to help people quit smoking." After scanning the brains of "13 regular smokers and 10 people who smoke only occasionally," investigators noted that "maximum brain levels of nicotine were reached in 3 to 5 minutes, and built up more slowly in addicted smokers than in casual ones." According to the paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "this slower rate resulted from nicotine staying longer in the lungs of dependent smokers, which may be a result of the chronic effects of smoke on the lungs."