Does nicotine harm the developing brain

The close links between smoking and social disadvantage and poor mental health were traditionally considered to be primarily due to smoking having a stronger appeal for people whose lives are more stressful, but with the rise of vaping, claims increased that the association shows adverse effects of nicotine on the developing brain, either during pregnancy, or via smoking in adolescence. In animal studies, very large and stressful nicotine dosing of developing foetus and during early adolescence generated a range of pathological outcomes, but it is not clear whether this is relevant for nicotine self-administration in humans.

This presentation will review human studies that examine whether the associations between smoking and lower IQ and educational achievement, and between smoking and increased risk of ADHD, anti-social behaviour, autism and use of illegal drugs is due to smoking or due to genetic, familial and environmental factors. The talk will also consider the causality of the association between starting smoking at a younger age and higher cigarette dependence. It will then consider to what extent any adverse behavioural effects of smoking may apply to nicotine on its own, when not combined with other tobacco chemicals.