Posted by linkadge on August 2, 2008, at 20:26:28
In reply to Re: Nicotine blocks stress induced BDNF drop » linkadge, posted by Iansf on August 2, 2008, at 19:10:09
Well, I don't know if its the best recomendation *yet* for depressed individuals to consume nicotine (as there would need to be more studies to confirm these findings), but the articles seem to suggest a few things.
BDNF is a brain growth agent, like a neural fertilizer that appears to be low in people with depression. When BDNF levels are low, brain cells may not proliferate properly and can die. Agents capable of increasing BDNF, or in preventing the ability of stress to lower BDNF seem to have antidepressant potential.
These studies suggest that nicotine seems to protect against the ability of stress to lower BDNF levels and that it may increase BDNF synthesis and release in the hippocampus.
Nicotine was assumed at one point to cause depression (probably because people like to lump everything associated with smoking into one basket). More recent data however, suggests that it may infact have an antidepressant effect (through the modulation of BDNF and perhaps other growth factors like VEGF) and that is why depressed people smoke.
Anyhow, nicotine is probably not right for everbody, just something to think about.
Linkadge
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URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080727/msgs/843816.html