Psychologists have spent years studying the learning processes of the white rat, yet until recently they have neglected the laboratory of everyday social behavior for studying learning in man. In this book the leading experts in learning theory and pharmacology examine the role of learning mechanisms in smoking. The results provide new insights into the study of learning and determine new directions for future research on smoking and its control.
This report considers the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke. Many Surgeon General's reports have considered research findings on mechanisms in assessing the biological plausibility of associations observed in epidemiologic studies. Mechanisms of disease are important because they may provide plausibility, which is one of the guideline criteria for assessing evidence on causation. This report specifically reviews the evidence on the potential mechanisms by which smoking causes diseases and considers whether a mechanism is likely to be operative in the production of human disease by tobacco smoke. This evidence is relevant to understanding how smoking causes disease, to identifying those who may be particularly susceptible, and to assessing the potential risks of tobacco products.
Tobacco use kills more people than any other addiction and we know that addiction starts in childhood and youth. We all agree that youths should not smoke, but how can this be accomplished? What prevention messages will they find compelling? What effect does tobacco advertisingâ€"more than $10 million worth every dayâ€"have on youths? Can we responsibly and effectively restrict their access to tobacco products? These questions and more are addressed in Growing Up Tobacco Free, prepared by the Institute of Medicine to help everyone understand the troubling issues surrounding youths and tobacco use. Growing Up Tobacco Free provides a readable explanation of nicotine's effects and the process of addiction, and documents the search for an effective approach to preventing the use of cigarettes, chewing and spitting tobacco, and snuff by children and youths. It covers the results of recent initiatives to limit young people's access to tobacco and discusses approaches to controls or bans on tobacco sales, price sensitivity among adolescents, and arguments for and against taxation as a prevention strategy for tobacco use. The controversial area of tobacco advertising is thoroughly examined. With clear guidelines for public action, everyone can benefit by reading and acting on the messages in this comprehensive and compelling book.
This booklet for schools, medical personnel, and parents contains highlights from the 2012 Surgeon General's report on tobacco use among youth and teens (ages 12 through 17) and young adults (ages 18 through 25). The report details the causes and the consequences of tobacco use among youth and young adults by focusing on the social, environmental, advertising, and marketing influences that encourage youth and young adults to initiate and sustain tobacco use. This is the first time tobacco data on young adults as a discrete population have been explored in detail. The report also highlights successful strategies to prevent young people from using tobacco.
Negative Affective States and Cognitive Impairments in Nicotine Dependence is the only book of its kind that addresses nicotine use and abuse in the context of negative reinforcement mechanisms. Written and edited by leading investigators in addiction, affective, genetic, and cognitive research, it provides researchers and advanced students with an overview of the clinical bases of these effects, allowing them to fully understand the various underlying dysfunctions that drive nicotine use in different individuals. In addition, this book examines animal models that researchers have utilized to investigate the biological bases of these dysfunctions. The combination of clinical and preclinical approaches to understanding nicotine dependence makes this book an invaluable resource for researchers and practitioners seeking to develop targeted treatments aimed at ameliorating symptoms of nicotine dependence, as well as identifying premorbid differences in affective or cognitive function. Provides a unique perspective on nicotine dependence that emphasizes negative reinforcement rather than positive reinforcement Examines psychiatric comorbidities and alleviation of withdrawal states as motivation for continued tobacco use Includes both clinical and preclinical perspectives Includes genetic and multi-neurotransmitter perspectives on nicotine use and withdrawal Emphasizes heterogeneity of underlying reasons for smoking, the need for multiple animal models to understand this heterogeneity, and the expectation of heterogeneous responses to potential treatments, underscoring the need for personalized therapeutics
