Nicotine addiction and autism.(News Notes)

Early research assessing functional interaction between 2 proteins in the brain has led to speculation of a potential role in treating nicotine addiction and autism. Using existing drugs (cholinergic agents) it is theoretially possible to curb nicotine addiction and to provide potential therapies for alleviating symptoms of autism. The research identified a beta protein made by the neurexin-1 gene located in brain cells that assists "in connecting neurons as part of the brain's chemical communication system." The function of the neurexin-1 beta protein "is to lure another protein, a specific type of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, to the …