Nicotine Use Among Teens Can Lead To Depression

 (Tallahassee, FL)  --  New research helps makes the case against smoking, particularly among younger people.

   A study from Florida State University reveals teens who smoke could be setting themselves up for depression in their adult years and heightened sensitivity to stress.

   The science is based on giving nicotine to adolescent rats and their resulting depression-like state.
   Adolescent rats were injected twice a day with either nicotine or saline for 15 days.

   They were later subjected to experiments to determine how they would react in stressful situations and their response to being rewarded.

   Behaviors of depression and anxiety shown by the rats injected with nicotine included repetitive grooming and immobility in stressful circumstances.

   Writing in the journal "Neuropsychopharmacology," researchers say "even brief exposure to nicotine increases risk for mood disorders later in life."  One of the most surprising conclusions in the study is that long-lasting effects can result from just one day of exposure to nicotine.

   Also, adult rats exposed to nicotine did not display the same depression symptoms as the adolescent rats.


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