Historical and current perspective on tobacco use and nicotine addiction

Although the addictive influence of tobacco was recognized very early, the modern concepts of nicotine addiction have relied on knowledge of cholinergic neurotransmission and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). The discovery of the 'receptive substance' by Langley, that would turn out to be nAChRs, and 'Vagusstoff' (acetylcholine) by Loewi, coincided with an exciting time when the concept of chemical synaptic transmission was being formulated. More recently, the application of more powerful techniques and the study of animal models that replicate key features of nicotine dependence have led to important advancements in our understanding of molecular, cellular and systems mechanisms of nicotine addiction. In this review, we present a historical perspective and overview of the research that has led to our present understanding of nicotine addiction.