A single dose of nicotine, equivalent to that found in a cigarette, blocks estrogen production in women’s brains.
Uppsala University researchers write this in a new press release published by the scientific news agency Eureka alert!.
– For the first time, we can see that nicotine works to shut down the mechanisms that work to produce estrogen in women’s brains, says associate professor Erika Comasco.
One cigarette
She was responsible for the study, which was presented during the ECNP congress in Vienna. ECNP is an organization for neuroresearch and up to 5,000 participants gather this week in Vienna.
Ten healthy women participated in the study.
The women received a single dose of nicotine in their nose, while at the same time a radioactive tracking device linked to a special molecule was injected.
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The molecule can bind to the aromatase enzyme, also called estrogen synthase, which is the enzyme responsible for producing estrogen.
With the help of MRI exams and so-called PET scans, which can show activity in cells and tissues, the researchers were able to see how much of this enzyme the women had in their brains and where it was.
– Surprised
After the women consumed this nicotine dose, the researchers were able to reveal that they had less aromatase in their brains.
– We were surprised when we saw that this effect was visible even with a single dose of nicotine, equivalent to a single cigarette. It shows how great the effect of smoking is on women’s brains, she says.
Comasco points out that this is a completely discovered effect recently and that the research is still at an early stage.
– We are still not sure what kind of behavioral or cognitive results it has, we just know that nicotine affects this part of the brain.
However, he points out that the affected part of the brain is a hub for addictive substances, such as nicotine.
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There is an area in our brain called the thalamus, which is involved in our behavioral and emotional reactions.
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It is second Main medical encyclopedias the anterior part of the brain stem, which functions as a sort of control station that determines which impulses need to be processed and transmitted to the cerebral cortex.
This is where researchers have now seen a change.
The researchers behind the study believe the finding may explain several differences in women who smoke, including why women find it harder to quit than men.
It is not new that women and men react differently to nicotine.
– Women appear to be more resistant to smoking cessation aids, experience more relapses when they stop smoking, and are more vulnerable to hereditary smoking. They are also more susceptible to smoking-related diseases, such as lung cancer and heart attacks, Comasco says.
– Significant impact
The biological reasons behind these differences are unknown.
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– The discovery leads us to believe that the effect of nicotine on estrogen production has a significant impact on the brain, but perhaps also on other functions, such as the reproductive system. We don’t know yet, Comasco says.
Researchers will now investigate whether the effect of nicotine on the hormone system is involved in any of these reactions.
– We studied a fairly small group of women and we need a larger group to confirm our findings, Comasco says and points out:
– In any case, our message is that nicotine affects the brain in several ways, including the production of sex hormones such as estrogen.
– Important discovery
Professor Win van den Brink, associate with the Department of Psychiatry and Addiction at the University of Amsterdam, believes this is an important early discovery:
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– This specific effect of nicotine in women was not known before. But tobacco addiction is a complex condition, says the professor and elaborates:
– This specific effect is not likely to explain all the differences in development, treatment and outcome between female and male smokers.
