Smokers' genetic background impacts brain opioid receptors, smoking relapse
Monday, May 16, 2011 - 17:30
in Health & Medicine
Nearly everyone who has tried to quit smoking says it's incredibly difficult, and the struggle is due in part to genetic factors. Now, a new study from the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania sheds light on how one specific genetic risk for smoking relapse may work: Some of the difficulties may be due to how many receptors, called "mu opioid" receptors, a smoker has in his or her brain. The results, published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may lead to the development of new treatments that target these receptors and help smokers increase their chances of success when they try to quit.