Smoking and schizophrenia is a relationship explained by the increased activation of the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) which is the part of the brain’s reward system. This is the result of a study by a team of researchers from the Institut Universitaire en Sante Mentale de montreal and the University of Montreal. This group of researchers was studying the tendency to smoke and low rate of smokers who are schizophrenic and are able to quit. People who suffer from this combination of smoking and schizophrenia tend to suffer physically and have a shortened life span. Some of the revelations discovered during the study were that they have greater neuronal activation in one specific brain region and have a higher chance for depression compared to other smokers. This suggests that smoking delivers a greater reward effect making them more vulnerable to tobacco addiction and a tougher time withdrawing from the habit. This combination in smokers has a 12 time higher likelihood of succumbing to heart disease. What is needed is more research on how to help this type of smoker quit their smoking habit and the research group plans to continue studying the vmPFC.
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Smoking addiction in schizophrenia can be explained by significantly increased activation of the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a region involved in the brain reward system. These new data, the result of a stud
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