Adolescent e-cigarette use has increased rapidly in recent years, sparking concerns about the potential long-term consequences on brain development. In a new study, Henderson and colleagues used an e-Vape self-administration (EVSA) assay to compare vaping-related nicotine reinforcement between male and female adult and adolescent C57BL/6J mice before extracting the mouse brains to assess neuronal function. The results show that adolescent-exposed males exhibited greater reinforcement-related behavior than their adult-exposed counterparts, while adolescent-exposed and adult-exposed females exhibited similar levels of reinforcement-related behavior. The study also identified unique neurobiological changes in adolescent-exposed mice following vapor self-administration of nicotine, including increased intrinsic excitability of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) pyramidal neurons, enhanced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcc) and changes in acetylcholine receptors dynamics. The differences between adolescent and adult responses emphasize the importance of considering developmental stages when studying the effects of nicotine exposure on body and brain health.
Original reference: Henderson, B.J. et al. Commun. Biol. 7, 1553 (2024)
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