UMass Med School Identifies Nicotine Withdrawal Symptom Origins
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Monday, November 18, 2013
GoLocalWorcester Health Team
University of Massachusetts Medical School neuroscientist, Andrew R. Tapper, PhD, and colleagues have identified the region of the brain where the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal--such as headaches, anxiety, and irritability--originate. This discovery may be a significant step toward alleviating those symptoms, and allow smokers to more easily kick the habit.
“We were surprised to find that one population of neurons within a single brain region could actually control physical nicotine withdrawal behaviors,” said Dr. Tapper, associate professor of psychiatry and interim director of the Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute at UMass Medical School.
The Tapper lab discovered that physical nicotine withdrawal symptoms are triggered by activation of GABAergic neurons (neurons that secrete GABA, the brain’s predominant inhibitory neurotransmitter), in the interpeduncular nucleus, an area deep in the midbrain that has recently been shown to be involved in nicotine intake. Their study was published in the November 14 issue of the journal Current Biology.
“Most of the work in the field has been focused on the immediate effects of nicotine, the addictive component in tobacco smoke, on reward circuits in the brain,” Tapper explained. “But much less is known regarding what happens when you take nicotine away from someone who has been smoking for a long time that causes all of these terrible withdrawal symptoms. Our main goal was to understand what brain regions are activated—or deactivated—to cause nicotine withdrawal symptoms."
This was accomplished through a series of experiments performed in mice models with sophisticated neurochemistry and brain imaging methods, including recently developed optogenetics techniques in which specific neurons can be activated by light.
Most surprising was their discovery that nicotine withdrawal symptoms can be activated or deactivated independent of nicotine addiction. “When we activated the GABAergic neurons in the interpenduncular nucleus, mice suffered withdrawal symptoms even if they had no previous nicotine exposure,” Tapper noted.
These findings are promising because existing treatments intended to help people quit smoking are not always effective. “There are very few treatments to help people quit smoking,” Tapper said. “If you can dampen the activity of this brain region chemically during nicotine withdrawal then you would hopefully be able to help someone quit smoking because you could reduce some of the withdrawal symptoms that they are experiencing.”
Related Slideshow: Check Out The Grades: Massachusetts Hospitals Report Card
A recent survey released by The Leapfrog Group assigns a Hospital Safety Score, using the report card system of A to F to each of the hospitals in Rhode Island. These grades are based on expert analysis of injuries, infections and errors that cause harm or death during a hospital stay.
Let's see how each of Massachusetts' hospitals were graded from highest to lowest:
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Addison Gilbert Hospital
Gloucester, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Anna Jaques Hospital
Newburyport, RI
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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Baystate Franklin Medical Center
Greenfield, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Baystate Medical Center
Springfield, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
(Photo: John Phelan, Wikimedia)
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Berkshire Medical Center
Pittsfield, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Milton
Milton, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Beverly Hospital
Beverly, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Boston Medical Center
Boston, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital
Boston, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Cambridge Health Alliance: Cambridge
Cambridge, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Cambridge Health Alliance: Whidden
Everett, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Cape Cod Hospital
Hyannis, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
(Photo: Davee, Flickr)
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Carney Hospital
Dorchester, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Charlton Memorial Hospital: Southcoast Hospitals Group
Fall River, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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Emerson Hospital
Concord, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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Hallmark Health System: Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford
Medford, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Hallmark Health System: Melrose-Wakefield Hospital
Melrose, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Harrington Memorial Hospital
Southbridge, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Holy Family Hospital
Methuen, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Jordan Hospital
Plymouth, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: C
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Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
Burlington, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Leonard Morse Hospital
Natick, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Lowell General Hospital
Lowell, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Marlborough Hospital
Marlborough, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Mercy Medical Center of Springfield
Springfield, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: C
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Merrimack Valley Hospital
Haverhill, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: C
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Framingham Union Hospital
Framingham, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Milford Regional Medical Center
Milford, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Morton Hospital
Taunton, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Mount Auburn Hospital
Cambridge, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Nashoba Valley Medical Center: A Steward Family Hospital
Ayer, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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Newton-Wellesley Hospital
Newton, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Noble Hospital
Westfield, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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North Shore Medical Center - Union Hospital
Lynn, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Quincy Medical Center
Quincy, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital
Brockton, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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South Shore Hospital
South Weymouth, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Steward Good Samaritan Medical Center, Inc.
Brockton, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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St. Luke's Hospital: Southeast Hospitals Group
New Bedford, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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Steward Norword Hospital
Norwood, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Steward St. Anne's Hospital
Fall River, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Steward St. Elizabeth's Medical Center
Boston, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Sturdy Memorial Hospital
Attleboro, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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The Cooley Dickinson Hospital
Northampton, MA
Fall 2013 Grade:
Spring 2013 Grade:
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Tobey Hospital: Southcoast Hospitals Group
Wareham, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Wing Memorial Hospital & Medical Centers
Palmer, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: A
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital: Needham
Needham, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: B
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Falmouth Hospital
Falmouth, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: B
Spring 2013 Grade: C
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Holyoke Medical Center
Holyoke, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: B
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Lawrence General Hospital
Lawrence, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: B
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: B
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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North Shore Medical Center: Salem Hospital
Salem, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: B
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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Saints Medical Center
Lowell, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: B
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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St. Vincent at Worcester Medical Center
Worcester, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: B
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Tufts Medical Center
Boston, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: B
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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Winchester Hospital
Winchester, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: B
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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HealthAlliance Hospital
Leominster, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: C
Spring 2013 Grade: B
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North Adams Regional Hospital
North Adams, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: C
Spring 2013 Grade: A
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U Mass Memorial Medical Center
Worcester, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: C
Spring 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
*Not graded because the hospital did not respond to Leapfrog's voluntary survey
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U Mass Memorial Medical Center: Memorial Campus
Worcester, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: C
Spring 2013 Grade: C
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Athol Memorial Hospital
Athol, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
Spring 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
*Not graded because the hospital did not respond to Leapfrog's voluntary survey
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Baystate Mary Lane Hospital
Ware, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
Spring 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
*Not graded because the hospital did not respond to Leapfrog's voluntary survey
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Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
Spring 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
*Not graded because the hospital did not respond to Leapfrog's voluntary survey
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Clinton Hospital
Clinton, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
Spring 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
*Not graded because the hospital did not respond to Leapfrog's voluntary survey
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Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
Spring 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
*Not graded due to lack of publicly available data
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Fairview Hospital
Great Barrington, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
Spring 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
*Not graded because the hospital did not respond to Leapfrog's voluntary survey
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Martha's Vineyard Hospital
Oak Bluffs, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
Spring 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
*Not graded because the hospital did not respond to Leapfrog's voluntary survey
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Massachusetts Eye And Ear
Boston, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
Spring 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
*Not graded because the hospital did not respond to Leapfrog's voluntary survey
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Nantucket Cottage Hospital
Nantucket, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
Spring 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
*Not graded because the hospital did not respond to Leapfrog's voluntary survey
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New England Baptist Hospital
Boston, MA
Fall 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
Spring 2013 Grade: Not Graded*
*Not graded because the hospital did not respond to Leapfrog's voluntary survey
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