Neurological imaging reveals people more inclined to begin smoking as teenagers tend to have reduced gray matter in two important brain regions, indicating they may play a significant role in inhibition and addiction.
"Smoking is perhaps the most common addictive behavior in the world, and a leading cause of adult mortality,""The initiation of a smoking habit is most likely to occur during adolescence. Any way of detecting an increased chance of this, so we can target interventions, could help save millions of lives."
The researchers then compared those who began smoking by age 14 with non-smokers and repeated this again with the same patients at ages 19 and 23. Scans taken five years later revealed the opposite part of this same brain region was also reduced in the smoker group compared to non-smokers. This side of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex has also been linked to pleasure.Cambridge psychiatrist Barbara Sahakian."As well as a role in rewarding experiences, dopamine has long been believed to affect self-control.""Both questionnaires examine the pursuit of thrilling experiences, but they measure distinct behaviors,"Robbins.
"Smokers then experience excessive loss of gray matter in the right frontal lobes, which is linked to behaviors that reinforce substance use,"Jia – pressing those sensation-seeking pleasure button."This may provide a causal account of how smoking is initiated in young people, and how it turns into dependence."
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