A study by the University of California at Los Angeles finds that light cigarettes deliver nearly as much nicotine to the brain as regular cigarettes.

In the current online edition of the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, psychiatry professor Dr. Arthur L. Brody and colleagues report that low-nicotine cigarettes act similarly to regular cigarettes, occupying a significant percentage of the brain's nicotine receptors.
Light cigarettes have nicotine levels of 0.6 to 1 mg, while regular cigarettes contain between 1.2 and 1.4 mg.
The researchers also looked at de-nicotinised cigarettes, which contain only a trace amount of nicotine (0.05 mg) and are currently being tested as an adjunct to standard smoking-cessation treatments. They found that even a  lower nicotine level is enough to occupy a sizeable percentage of receptors. (pi)