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Updated: Jul 24, 2026

Spectral Confocal Imaging of Fluorescently tagged Nicotinic Receptors in Knock-in Mice with Chronic Nicotine Administration
Published on: February 10, 2012
Non-nicotine pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation
1Department of Preventive Medicine and Family Medicine, Loma Linda University Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Loma Linda, California 92350, USA. lhferry@aol.com
Abstract:
The selection of a non-nicotine treatment is based on the acceptability of various treatments with smokers, the ability to address the specific neurobiology of nicotine addiction, and the option to provide treatment for co-morbid conditions of nicotine-dependent patients. The search for effective treatments for nicotine dependence has generated a wide variety of non-nicotine approaches based on the neuropharmacologic and sensory basis for tobacco use. The only non-nicotine, FDA-approved medication is bupropion, an amino-ketone agent that is believed to work on the dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurotransmitters involved in perpetuating nicotine dependence. This article reviews other unapproved medications, mechanisms of action, and their effectiveness in clinical trials.
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