Researchers at VU University in Amsterdam want to find out how the brain is affected in the long term in a person who uses tobacco in adolescence, while the brain is still developing. The studies, the results of which are now published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience, were conducted on rats.

The researchers gave young rats nicotine. Their ability to focus on and complete various challenging tasks was tested both when they were young and when they became adults. Other rats that were not given nicotine were tested in the same way, at the same ages.

The animals that received nicotine performed worse on the tests as they got older. Those that did not receive nicotine showed no such deterioration.

The nicotine rats were also more impulsive.

The researchers believe it is likely that human brains are affected in a similar way by nicotine. This would mean that a boy or girl who smokes or uses snuff between the ages of 12 and 16 will experience permanent changes in the brain that affect, among other things, their ability to concentrate in adulthood.

Here is a link to the article in Nature Neuroscience.

Helene Wallskär