VOA标准英语2011--Nicotine Enhances Effects of Cocaine

Nicotine¹ Enhances Effects of Cocaine²

 

A new study from Columbia University highlights the role of tobacco in cocaine addiction³. The research indicates that nicotine may be a key "gateway⁴" drug in a biological as well as a social context.

Dr. Amir Levine says there is some support for the gateway hypothesis, that adolescents begin drug use with alcohol and nicotine, then advance to marijuana and more serious drugs.

"And then we were wondering whether that sequence, apart from having cigarettes more available and alcohol more available, whether there was also a biological effect of these drugs on other drugs later on down the line."

To find an answer, Levine and his colleagues used laboratory mice, and added nicotine to their water. Then they injected the mice with cocaine and compared their behaviors with drugged mice that had not gotten the nicotine.

"And what we found was, that when they were treated with nicotine first, the effect - their behavioral effects - were much more pronounced when they were given cocaine."

And Levine says researchers saw that effect even with very small amounts of nicotine.

If you start smoking before you try cocaine, you are much more likely to become addicted5 to cocaine, according to new research.

Co-author and Nobel laureate Dr. Eric Kandel, adds that nicotine dramatically increases the effect of cocaine.

"And it sort of makes a little bit of sense, why people start with nicotine and then go on to cocaine. Because if they're smoking nicotine and they begin with cocaine, they get a wow!"

Nicotine has a direct effect on DNA⁶, Amir Levine explains, essentially⁷ exposing genes⁸ that are linked to addiction.

"So then, when you give cocaine, certain genes that are involved in addiction are greatly expressed, much more than if you give cocaine by itself."

For real-world confirmation⁹, another co-author, Denise Kandel, - Eric Kandel's wife - reviewed a 1992 study of cocaine users. "And she saw that if you started smoking before you started cocaine, you are much more likely to become addicted to cocaine."

On the other hand, those who used cocaine but hadn't smoked before were less likely to become addicted.

Co-author Eric Kandel says a deeper understanding of the biological process of addiction may lead to more effective treatments.

"The molecular¹⁰ insights that we're getting - and we plan to refine - should allow us to think about new approaches to therapy."

Writing in Science Translational Medicine, the authors also say their research emphasizes the need for more effective anti-smoking programs, especially targeted toward young people.

1 nicotine   

n.(化)尼古丁，烟碱

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。

2 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

3 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

4 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

5 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

6 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

7 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

8 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

9 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

10 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。