A study from South Korea has discovered that astrocytes, a type of brain cell that helps maintain brain internal balance, play an active role in nicotine addiction in rats.  

Smoking is still one of the most pressing global public health challenges. It is a risk factor for many conditions, such as cancers and heart disease, but the addictive properties of nicotine make quitting extremely hard. Most nicotine addiction studies focus on neurons, overlooking other cell types, including astrocytes, some of the most common cells in the brain.  

Researchers from Pusan National University (PNU) found that exposing astrocytes to nicotine in cell cultures activated the cells through the function of a protein that synthesises glutamate, a crucial molecule for neuronal communication.  

Then, the researchers injected rats with nicotine for six days and found that nicotine activates astrocytes in regions of the brain involved in addictive behaviour: the putamen and caudate nucleus. Blocking the protein in astrocytes in these brain regions decreased rats’ nicotine-induced locomotion, a common addictive behaviour. 

“While clinical translation of this research will take time and direct human application is uncertain, this work deepens our understanding of nicotine addiction, paving the way for development of therapeutic strategies ultimately supporting smoking-cessation efforts,” said Eun Sang Choe from PNU, leader of the study published in Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B.