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Nature 379, 677-678 (22 February 1996) | doi:10.1038/379677a0

Psychoactive smoke

Alexander H. Glassman & George F. Koob

IT is known that levels of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) are reduced in the platelets of cigarette smokers and that they return to normal when smokers give up the habit. Monoamine oxidase is involved in the degradation of the biologically active monoamines (neurotrans-mitters such as dopamine, noradrenalin, serotonin and phenethylamine) and exists in two isozyme forms, A and B.