[New possibilities in pharmacological treatment of nicotine dependence]

Smoking and other forms of tobacco use are widely considered to represent a form of addiction to nicotine. Moreover, a nicotine withdrawal syndrome contributes significantly to the high relapse rate upon cessation. Nicotine exerts its effects through activation of nicotinic receptors, and its addictive properties appear to be mediated largely through stimulation of monoaminergic pathways in the brain. This might also explain the high prevalence of smoking in several psychiatric disorders. Nicotine replacement still represents our main drug therapy in smoking cessation programmes, but recent experimental findings may lead to the introduction of novel pharmacological treatments.