Peter S. LaViolette1, William Collier2, M D. Verber3, Kathleen M. Schmainda1,4, L Piacentine3, K L. Douville, S A. Claesges3, S J. Durgerian3,5, Alan S. Bloom3,6
1Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; 2Pharmacology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI; 3Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; 4Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; 5Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA; 6Pharmacology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, and smoking is a leading worldwide cause of preventable death. Nicotine has been shown to increase fmri bold activation when administered, and much research has been done in fMRI and brain metabolism studies to localize specific brain anatomy involved. Functional connectivity of these regions, on the other hand, has received little attention. This study shows that regions that actively respond to nicotine administration are functionally connected at rest, and the strength of this network is paradoxically increased in smokers compared to non-smokers.