2023-08-22 17:41:33
Smoking: It seems to depend on the brain
People with a cigarette in their mouth or in their hands are a common sight in this country. For them, the fags may bring all sorts of advantages, while others simply feel bothered by the stench. But why even start with that Smoke at? There is now a new study on this.
There are a number of reasons to start smoking. The social aspect often plays an important role, especially at a young age, such as peer pressure and a feeling of acceptance. However, according to a new study, the answer may be in the brain.
In fact, scans have now shown that young people with a higher tendency to smoke have less gray matter in two brain regions than others. This could indicate that these areas play a significant role in inhibitions and addictions.
For its study, the research team analyzed brain scans from more than 800 people from Great Britain, Germany, France, and Ireland and also evaluated questionnaires. Then the data from people who started smoking at the age of 14 were compared with those of non-smokers and repeated with the same people at the ages of 19 and 23.
The group who started the vice as teenagers showed less gray matter in the left ventromedial prefrontal cortex; this area plays a role in the regulation of emotions, decision-making, and self-control. Then, five years later, the scans showed that the gray matter was also reduced on the right side – this is linked to pleasure.
As psychiatrist Barbara Sahakian points out in a companion article, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex is a key area for the release of dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter. This should not only reward experience but could also influence self-control.
The surveys of the study would also suggest that. In another accompanying article, psychologist Trevor Robbins explains that the research also measured the desire for exciting experiences and related behaviors.
Participants whose responses indicated a greater desire for strong sensations were more likely to have reduced gray matter mass on the right side of the cortex. On the other hand, those who primarily sought new experiences had less gray matter on the left side.
Overall, this leads to less inhibitions and a greater willingness to take risks, which in turn increases the likelihood of smoking at a young age. Smoking then causes excessive loss of gray matter on the right side as the sense of pleasure is more activated. According to bioinformatician Tianye Jia, this represents a causal account of how smoking is introduced to young people and subsequently becomes an addiction.
The study also looked at people who didn’t start smoking until they were 19. Initially, these also showed less brain matter on the left ventromedial prefrontal cortex. On the right side, the result was identical to those who did not smoke. Only after picking up the smoke truck did it subside there as well.
That is, less gray matter on the left may be a clue to later addictions, which is heritable. Recognizing and addressing this early could save millions of lives in the long run. In addition, it is now of interest to the scientists whether the results can also be transferred to e-cigarettes.
Sources: “Association between vmPFC gray matter volume and smoking initiation in adolescents” (Nature Communications 2023), EurekAlert, University of Cambridge]
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