Exposure to altered brain structure in young adults who smoke cigarettes

Cambridge: A study has shown that the brain structure of young smokers is different from that of their peers who do not smoke cigarettes.

In the study, led by researchers from the University of Cambridge and Warwick in the United Kingdom and the University of Fudan in China, scientists examined brain imaging and behavioral data from more than 800 young people aged 14, 19 and 23.

The study looked at the relationship between the amount of information-processing tissue (gray matter) in two parts of the brain and the onset of smoking in adolescence and the maturation of the nicotine habit.

According to the researchers, the development of a method to detect smoking addiction could help save millions of lives.

The study found that teenagers who started smoking at age 14 had less gray matter in the left side of the brain (which is associated with decision-making and breaking rules).

“Smoking is the world’s most common addictive behavior and one of the leading causes of death in older people,” said study co-senior author Professor Trevor Robbins, from the University of Cambridge.

He said that smoking addiction starts during youth. Any way to diagnose it could help save millions of lives.

He said that in the research, a lower volume of gray matter in the left side of the brain was associated with an excess of rule-breaking behavior. And this behavior of potentially breaking the rules can lead to the negation of anti-smoking rules.

Scientists also found less gray matter in the right side of the brain in smokers. In this section, the reduction of this substance was observed with heavy consumption of alcohol and cannabis.