The psychopharmacologic effects of nicotine are mediated primarily by functionally diverse neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), a family of ligand-gated ion channels widely distributed in the brain [9], [10], [11]. Because of their unique functions, genes encoding various nAChR subunits have been proposed as plausible candidates for genetic studies of ND. Several subunit genes have been investigated for associations with ND as well as other smoking-related behaviors in human subjects (for reviews, see [12], [13]).
