On Thursday, 8 October 2015 22:54:50 UTC+1, polygonum wrote:
On 08/10/2015 11:55, Steph wrote:
Is any of you taking part in these Stoptober shannigans? I delayed starting because of a wedding. I am on day 5 and trying to work but like buggery can I focus. I've given myself aims, 1 save enough money from not smoking to get another tattoo and 2, spending money for a Muse concert.

It is really hard battling not to go to the local shop.


There is a relationship between nicotine and thyroid hormone that has
been very largely ignored. Some recent abstracts suggest that it should
not be ignored - even to the point of considering thyroid hormone
supplementation for those giving up smoking:

Nicotine Tob Res. 2015 Jun;17(6):690-6. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntu229. Epub
2014 Oct 30.

Withdrawal From Chronic Nicotine Reduces Thyroid Hormone Levels and
Levothyroxine Treatment Ameliorates Nicotine Withdrawal-Induced Deficits
in Hippocampus-Dependent Learning in C57BL/6J Mice.

Leach PT1, Holliday E1, Kutlu MG1, Gould TJ2.
Author information

1Temple University Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program,
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.
2Temple University Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program,
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA .
Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Cigarette smoking alters a variety of endocrine systems including
thyroid hormones. Altered thyroid hormone signaling may lead to a
subclinical or overt hypothyroid condition that could contribute to
nicotine withdrawal-related symptoms, such as cognitive deficits. Thus,
normalizing thyroid hormone levels may represent a novel therapeutic
target for ameliorating nicotine withdrawal-associated cognitive deficits..

METHODS:

The current studies conducted an analysis of serum thyroid hormone
levels after chronic and withdrawal from chronic nicotine treatment in
C57BL/6J mice using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The present
studies also evaluated the effect of synthetic thyroid hormone
(levothyroxine) on contextual and cued memory.

RESULTS:

The current studies found that nicotine withdrawal reduces secreted
thyroid hormone levels by 9% in C57BL/6J mice. Further, supplemental
thyroid hormone not only enhanced memory in naïve animals, but also
ameliorated deficits in hippocampus-dependent learning associated with
nicotine withdrawal.

CONCLUSIONS:

These results suggest that smokers attempting to quit should be
monitored closely for changes in thyroid function. If successfully
treated, normalization of thyroid hormone levels may ameliorate some
deficits associated with nicotine withdrawal and this may lead to higher
rates of successful abstinence.

© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the
Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For
permissions, please e-mail: .

PMID:
25358661
[PubMed - in process]
PMCID:
PMC4481724
[Available on 2016-06-01]


And...


Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2015 Sep 4. pii: S0149-7634(15)00236-5. doi:
10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.09.001. [Epub ahead of print]

Thyroid Hormone Signaling: Contribution to Neural Function, Cognition,
and Relationship to Nicotine.

Leach PT1, Gould TJ2.

Author information

1Temple University Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program,
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122.
2Temple University Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program,
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122. Electronic address:
.

Abstract

Cigarette smoking is common despite its adverse effects on health, such
as cardiovascular disease and stroke. Understanding the mechanisms that
contribute to the addictive properties of nicotine makes it possible to
target them to prevent the initiation of smoking behavior and/or
increase the chance of successful quit attempts. While highly addictive,
nicotine is not generally considered to be as reinforcing as other drugs
of abuse. There are likely other mechanisms at work that contribute to
the addictive liability of nicotine. Nicotine modulates aspects of the
endocrine system, including the thyroid, which is critical for normal
cognitive functioning. It is possible that nicotine's effects on thyroid
function may alter learning and memory, and this may underlie some of
its addictive potential. Here, we review the literature on thyroid
function and cognition, with a focus on how nicotine alters thyroid
hormone signaling and the potential impact on cognition. Changes in
cognition are a major symptom of nicotine addiction. Current
anti-smoking therapies have modest success at best. If some of the
cognitive effects of nicotine are mediated through the thyroid hormone
system, then thyroid hormone agonists may be novel treatments for
smoking cessation therapies. The content of this review is important
because it clarifies the relationship between smoking and thyroid
function, which has been ill-defined in the past. This review is timely
because the reduction in smoking rates we have seen in recent decades,
due to public awareness campaigns and public smoking bans, has leveled
off in recent years. Therefore, novel treatment approaches are needed to
help reduce smoking rates further.

Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

PMID:
26344666
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]


And...


Neuropharmacology. 2015 Jun;93:155-63. doi:
10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.01.026. Epub 2015 Feb 7.

Thyroid receptor β involvement in the effects of acute nicotine on
hippocampus-dependent memory.

Leach PT1, Kenney JW1, Connor DA1, Gould TJ2.

Author information

1Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Temple University,
Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
2Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Temple University,
Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA. Electronic address: .

Abstract

Cigarette smoking is common despite adverse health effects. Nicotine's
effects on learning may contribute to addiction by enhancing
drug-context associations. Effects of nicotine on learning could be
direct or could occur by altering systems that modulate cognition.
Because thyroid signaling can alter cognition and nicotine/smoking may
change thyroid function, nicotine could affect learning through changes
in thyroid signaling. These studies investigate the functional
contributions of thyroid receptor (TR) subtypes β and α1 to
nicotine-enhanced learning and characterize the effects of acute
nicotine and learning on thyroid hormone levels. We conducted a high
throughput screen of transcription factor activity to identify novel
targets that may contribute to the effects of nicotine on learning.
Based on these results, which showed that combined nicotine and learning
uniquely acted to increase TR activation, we identified TRs as potential
targets of nicotine. Further analyses were conducted to determine the
individual and combined effects of nicotine and learning on thyroid
hormone levels, but no changes were seen. Next, to determine the role of
TRβ and TRα1 in the effects of nicotine on learning, mice lacking the
TRβ or TRα1 gene and wildtype littermates were administered acute
nicotine prior to fear conditioning. Nicotine enhanced contextual fear
conditioning in TRα1 knockout mice and wildtypes from both lines but TRβ
knockout mice did not show nicotine-enhanced learning. This finding
supports involvement of TRβ signaling in the effect of acute nicotine on
hippocampus-dependent memory. Acute nicotine enhances learning and these
effects may involve processes regulated by the transcription factor TRβ.

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:

Acetylcholine; Fear conditioning; Gene; Learning and memory; Nicotine;
Thyroid; Thyroid receptor

PMID:
25666034
[PubMed - in process]
PMCID:
PMC4387063
[Available on 2016-06-01]

And you signature separator is broken - needs to be dash dash space.
Yours has no space!

--
Rod

Ah, that is interesting. Women's hormones are bad anyway without adding withdrawl.

--
Steph
Typing on my phone dash dash dot dot