Tobacco kills more people worldwide than any legal or illegal drug; the collective benefits of quitting smoking are plentiful, from improved health, increased life expectancy, and fewer sick days to less stress on families and health care providers. Tobacco use and addiction depend on the complex interplay of neurochemical, genetic, personal, and social factors-and nicotine, as the principal psychoactive ingredient in tobacco smoke, stands at the center of this equation.

"The Motivational Impact of Nicotine and its Role in Tobacco Use draws upon research on the drug widely believed to form the basis of tobacco use and dependence, nicotine. When discussing drug addiction and dependence, an increasing number of scientists are using the concepts of motivation and related constructs (e.g., incentive processes, cravings, drug seeking, etc.) and their applications in modifying behavior. The chapter authors discuss effective strategies for decreasing tobacco use and preventing initiation through a translational approach in which genetic, neurobiological, individual, and cultural factors motivating tobacco use and nicotine dependence are considered."

Nicotine, Tobacco Use, and the 55th Nebraska Symposium on Motivation.- Synaptic Plasticity Within Midbrain Dopamine Centers Contributes to Nicotine Addiction.- Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Motivational Effects of Nicotine.- Targeting Reward-Relevant Nicotinic Receptors in the Discovery of Novel Pharmacotherapeutic Agents to Treat Tobacco Dependence.- Multiple Motivational Forces Contribute to Nicotine Dependence.- The Role of Nicotine in Smoking: A Dual-Reinforcement Model.- Altering the Motivational Function of Nicotine through Conditioning Processes.- New Findings on Nicotine Addiction and Treatment.- Sex Differences in Nicotine Reinforcement and Reward: Influences on the Persistence of Tobacco Smoking.- The Functional Significance of Craving in Nicotine Dependence.- The Motivational Impact of Nicotine and Its Role in Tobacco Use: Final Comments and Priorities.