Huberman Explores Nicotine’s Effects on the Brain

Feb 27, 2024

Nicotine is a compound famously consumed by billions, primarily through smoking. But there’s more to tobacco than just nicotine. When burned, it unlocks nicotine for our bodies to absorb.

But smoking isn’t the only way to get nicotine. Think dip, tucked in the lip, or snuff, packing tobacco into nasal cavities. The nicotine then seeps through soft inner membranes. We’re talking patches, gum, lozenges, even nicotine-drenched toothpicks.

Huberman stressed an important point: differentiate nicotine from smoking and vaping.

Yes, he acknowledged smoking’s harm. But he also proposed nicotine’s potential upsides, under strict conditions. Don’t confuse these with smoking or vaping, though.

Nicotine Effects vs. Methods of Delivery, Acetylcholine

Nicotine: it’s the addictive factor in tobacco products and notorious for its health harms through smoking. But nicotine, by itself, is rather intriguing—especially its influence on the brain.

At its core, nicotine interacts with a neurotransmitter named acetylcholine, vital for muscle function and cognitive operations.

Nicotine mirrors acetylcholine, latching onto its receptors. This action can sharpen focus, learning, and memory. But it’s the long-term effects and delivery methods that matter.

Different nicotine delivery systems alter its impact. Smoking damages nearly all organs due to toxic byproducts of combustion. Yet, patches, gums, or vaping carry fewer harmful chemicals, potentially offering a safer way to satiate nicotine cravings.

The podcast highlights an important point: health risks stem from the delivery mode, not nicotine alone.

It’s a mixed blessing—aiding cognitive function and serving as a quitting aid while also feeding addiction and health issues, especially through smoking.

Grasping nicotine’s interaction with acetylcholine is crucial for informed choices and public health insights.

It plays a role in mental enhancement and addiction, underscoring the importance of how you ingest it.

Nicotine & Effects on the Brain: Appetite, Dopamine & GABA

Our central nervous system (CNS) – the brain and spinal cord – responds to nicotine through specific receptors.

The key to addiction and its effects lies in these receptors, particularly the alpha4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

So, how does nicotine impact our hunger? It’s all about the alpha4beta2 receptor.

Nicotine speeds up metabolism but also curbs the urge to eat. This action is complex and involves brain regions that regulate our sense of hunger.

For those trying to quit smoking, this presents a challenge. They often face increased hunger and potential weight gain.

After entering the body, nicotine zooms into action within 2 to 15 minutes. It’s swift because it can easily pass through the blood-brain barrier.

The real magic occurs in the brain’s reward system, the mesolimbic pathway. Here, nicotine prompts dopamine release in regions like the nucleus accumbens and the VTA, sparking feelings of pleasure, sharpness, and drive.

This rush is irresistible, hooking users to the sensation.

Nicotine doesn’t just up dopamine levels. It also tamps down on GABA, a brain inhibitor. This double play—a dopamine boost and GABA reduction—creates a potent reinforcing loop. It makes nicotine gratifying and habit-forming.

By understanding the dance between nicotine, dopamine, and GABA, we get why quitting is tough. We also see how, despite risks, nicotine could potentially counter depressive moods.

Nicotine & Effects on Appetite & Metabolism

Huberman zeroes in on a critical brain area—the hypothalamus. This small cluster of neurons beneath the thalamus is a mastermind of bodily functions, hunger included.

Inside the hypothalamus live specific neurons—POMC neurons. They’re key to managing our hunger. Nicotine steps in and hijacks these neurons by locking onto their receptors. This ramps up their activity.

As a result, our hunger signals turn down, and we feel less urge to eat. POMC neurons communicate this reduced hunger through signals across the brain and body, even affecting blood sugar levels.

But there’s more. Nicotine curbs not just the feeling of hunger but also our urge to chew. Huberman indicates that this neurological quieting might lessen our desire to eat at all.

In essence, it’s like a mental barrier at the jaw, silently telling us we’re just not that hungry.

Huberman points out nicotine’s ability to slightly but noticeably boost metabolism. Upticks of 2% to 5% may be brief, yet they’re significant. He explains why some folks might feel hungrier and gain weight when they stop using nicotine.

This brings us to a tough question: Why do people, particularly young women, cling to nicotine, despite its harms? Huberman suggests it’s not just the dopamine hit. The real hook might be the promise of controlling appetite—reflecting societal pressures and body image issues.

Nicotine & Effects on Body: Sympathetic Tone

Within minutes of entering our system, nicotine raises our blood pressure and heart rate. It tightens our heart’s grip. We leap into fight-or-flight mode, ready to pounce or flee.

But there’s a flip side. While our bodies rev up, nicotine narrows our blood vessels. It’s a physical response with sobering ripple effects.

In men, this can mean reduced penile size during use. The long-term picture? Blocked blood flow and lasting damage to the lining of our blood vessels. That’s the grim reality of nicotine, especially from tobacco.

Huberman then busts a myth. Even alternative nicotine sources, like patches or flavored toothpicks, aren’t immune to these vascular woes. They may spare the lining of our vessels, but the constriction issue persists.

Nicotine whips our bodies into action, boosts our blood flow, and spurs an adrenaline rush. Yet, for all the sharpness it brings, it’s a double-edged sword for vascular health.

Smoking, Vaping, Dipping & Snuffing: Carcinogens & Endothelial Cells

It’s not just the nicotine that’s threatening. The real enemies are the carcinogens.

Cigarettes alone pack between 4,000 to 7,000 toxins. But all forms of tobacco launch a full-scale attack on our body’s critical cells – the endothelial cells.

These cells line our blood vessels. They’re essential for delivering oxygen and nutrients. Yet, they suffer the most from tobacco toxins like tar, ammonia, and carbon dioxide.

The damage goes beyond cancer risks – it stifles oxygen to tissues, disrupting our bodily functions.

The “everything in moderation” argument is a popular defense. It’s common to hear that we’re already exposed to carcinogens, from exhaust fumes to pesticides.

Indeed, this has a ring of truth. However, using tobacco just adds more avoidable risks to the mix. Blaming environmental pollution doesn’t make voluntary tobacco use any less dangerous.

But why do people keep using these products, despite the risks? It all comes back to nicotine.

Nicotine’s allure lies in its power to spur dopamine release, baiting us into a cycle of pleasure and reward. This promise of sharp focus and attention is especially tempting under stress. Nicotine doesn’t just create a habit; it forges a dependency built on dopamine’s highs.

Smoking, Vaping, Dipping & Snuffing: Negative Impacts on Lifespan & Health

Imagine this: one pack of cigarettes a day could cut your life short by 14 years. Yet many smokers and vapers look the other way.

Our brains, with their dopamine cravings, are partly to blame. They gloss over what’s lost to tobacco: years of life, countless experiences.

Dipping and snuffing might not be in the spotlight, but they’re just as harmful. Nose and mouth cancers spike with these practices.

Smoking and vaping are right there with them, ushering in strokes and vascular diseases. Toxins build up, clogging the very veins meant to keep us alive. And it’s not just about the body. Smoking can dull the mind, too. Sure, there’s a short-lived mental sharpness, but this is followed by a long-term slide into memory loss and brain fog.

Over a billion people smoke, another half a billion are picking up vaping. Include those who dip and snuff, and you’ve got a full-blown health crisis.

Vaping & Nicotine, Rates of Effect Onset, Dopamine, Addiction & Depression

Nicotine isn’t the cancer-causing culprit. The real danger lies in other ingredients and the damage they do to blood vessels.

Huberman turned his attention to vaping—the new trend among the youth. Vape pens heat up a solution, delivering nicotine at a speed that’s concerning.

The speed—comparable to crack cocaine—means nicotine and its effects happen almost instantly. This “fast fix” makes it dangerously addictive.

Vaping’s popularity, even in schools, is a growing concern. It promises quick focus and better mood but at what cost? Over time, dopamine’s highs become lows, leading to depression.

Huberman warns that cutting back on vaping can deepen depression. The quest for a dopamine hit can leave users feeling unmotivated and down.

Yet, there’s hope. Huberman speaks of effective quitting strategies. Although not revealed in this excerpt, he suggests exploring his other content for these vital solutions.

Read Andrew Huberman

Discussion about this post