Tobacco use and schizophrenia: Impacts on the disease and its treatment
The prevalence of tobacco use among individuals suffering from schizophrenia is high. They tend to be heavy smokers and suffer from nicotine dependence. In schizophrenics, nicotine corrects certain neurophysiological anomalies such as sensory gating deficits. Normalization of these parameters is related to the stimulation of a specific nicotinic receptor, alpha-7. Antipsychotic drugs may have an influence on the tobacco use profile of persons suffering from schizophrenia and be influenced by its use. The smoke created by the combustion of tobacco affects the metabolism of several antipsychotic drugs. Nicotine may also attenuate certain undesirable effects related to taking this class of medication. All these elements indicate special links uniting schizophrenia and its treatment with tobacco use.