A dose of nicotine, equivalent to that found in a single cigarette blocks estrogen production in women’s brains
This may explain several behavioral differences in women who smoke, including why they are more resistant than men to quitting smoking.
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A single cigarette’s worth of nicotine inhibits estrogen production in women’s brains.
This could explain various behavioral variations among women smokers, including why they are more resistant to quitting smoking than men.
“For the first time,” says lead author Erika Comasco, “we can see that nicotine works to shuts down the estrogen production mechanism in the brain of women.
The study authors “were surprised to see that this effect could be seen even with a single dose of nicotine, equivalent to just one cigarette, showing how powerful the effects of smoking are on a woman’s brain.”
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“We’re still not sure what the behavioral or cognitive outcomes are; only that nicotine acts on this area of the brain, however we note that the affected brain system is a target for addictive drugs, such as nicotine”.
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The effect has been observed in the thalamus, which is part of the brain’s limbic system. This system is involved in regulating behavior and emotions.
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“Smoking has many adverse effects in men and in women,” according to the professor, “but this particular effect of nicotine on the reduction of estrogen production in woman was not known before. It should be noted, however, that tobacco addiction is a complex disorder with many contributing factors.
“It is still a long way from a nicotine induced reduction in estrogen production to a reduced risk of nicotine addiction and negative effects of treatment and relapse in female cigarette smokers, but this work merits further investigation”.