Alpha-7, the doughnut receptor :-)
OK, doughnut-shaped...
The alpha-7 receptor is a brain cell protein with a hole in the middle that closes when it comes in contact with acetylcholine, but also with chemicals that mimic acetylcholine especially nicotine. This recent study though shows that it plays a big role in many processes and may be key to drug research in obesity, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease. One thing the study notes that I found interesting is the way that schizophrenics self-medicate with smoking. More evidence that we can sometimes find ways to get something our body needs even if we don't know what's going on (and in this case obviously with extreme side-effects). I knew someone with a family history of schizophrenia who chain-smoked and now I'm realizing that his effort to give up smoking might have actually triggered an onset of symptoms.