What happens in the brains of smokers when they try to quit? If it is difficult for any smoker to do without a cigarette, women may have more difficulty putting the pack away. Indeed, according to a study presented at the annual congress of theEuropean College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), nicotine blocks the production of estrogen, even at very low doses.
“For the first time, we can see that nicotine works to shut down the estrogen-producing mechanism in the brains of women.”, says Professor Erika Comesco, professor at Uppsala University in Sweden and lead author of the study. To achieve these results, the researchers administered the equivalent of a nicotine cigarette nasally to 10 healthy women. At the same time, they were injected with a radioactive tracer to track aromatase, the enzyme responsible for estrogen production. The amount of aromatase and its location were then tracked via scanners (MRI and PET).
A single dose of nicotine is enough
And a single dose of nicotine was enough to reduce “moderately“the amount of aromatase in the brain. The researchers were surprised at how quickly this process took place.”We evaluated the effect over 90 minutes after nicotine administration”underlines Erika Comasco.
The researchers also noted the localization of aromatase: it is located in the hypothalamus, a nerve center of the brain involved in emotions, behavior but also addictions. “Estrogen, through its widespread receptors in brain areas relevant to the addiction circuitry, can influence neurotransmission.”says Erika Comasco.
And who says drop in aromatase, says drop in estrogen production and therefore affected brain system: it then becomes a “target” for addictive drugs, and in particular nicotine. This explains why women find it more difficult to quit smoking.
This isn’t the first time a difference between men and women about nicotine addiction has been noted: women respond less well to nicotine replacement therapy and are more likely to relapse only men.
“This finding leads us to believe that the effect of nicotine on estrogen production has a significant impact on the brain, but possibly also on other functions, such as the reproductive system.”, ends Professor Comasco. “Of course, this is a relatively small group of women, we need a larger sample to confirm these results. Nevertheless, the message is that nicotine has various effects on the brain, including the production of sex hormones such as estrogen.”.
Source :
- Nicotine dose in a single cigarette blocks estrogen production in women’s brains, European College of NeuropsychologyOctober 16, 2022
