Nicotine Exposure in Pregnancy Affects Adult Sleep Patterns: Study

Aug.29.2022
Nicotine Exposure in Pregnancy Affects Adult Sleep Patterns: Study
Prenatal nicotine exposure affects sleep patterns in adult mice, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.

The study, titled "Persistent Sleep Alterations and Decreased Hippocampal Corticosteroid Receptor Expression in Adult Mice after Early Nicotine or Tizanidine Exposure," was published in Scientific Reports. Its goal was to determine the effects of prenatal exposure to nicotine and its byproducts on adults.


A research team used regular secondhand smoke concentrations to expose pregnant mice to nicotine and found that these same mice had a significant decrease in sleep during the transition between rest and activity phases in adulthood.


Giovanna Zoccoli, a professor of biomedical and neuro-motor science at the University of Bologna in Italy, said: "The results of this study show that adult sleep may be influenced by early-life events. According to our data, controlling environmental factors during pregnancy is not only important for women's health, but also crucial for their offspring.


The study also found that this prenatal exposure to smoke altered the expression and balance of hippocampal cortical steroid receptors. Zoccoli added, "Our data show that changes in sleep and relaxation regulation of cortical steroids in the hippocampus are concurrent." "These findings suggest that nicotine consumption during pregnancy is a stressor that can affect the hippocampal development of offspring and the sleep patterns of adult offspring.


Is there a detrimental impact of electronic cigarettes on the heart?


A recent study exposed mouse heart cells to vapor from a culture dish, concluding that e-cigarettes have a damaging effect on the heart. Award-winning science writer, bestselling author, and chairman of the American Council on Science and Health, Hank Campbell, explained why these findings are flawed.


A study report titled "In vitro and in vivo cardiac toxicity of a flavoring electronic nicotine delivery system" found that inhaling vanillin in mice increased sympathetic dominance in heart rate variability measurements. However, a new paper claims that using e-cigarettes instead of traditional cigarettes puts people's hearts at risk, but their study did not show this. Instead, they mixed chemicals in a petri dish with heart cells and used mice. Both are good exploratory experiments, but scientifically, they are invalid in supporting the conclusions drawn by the authors in the press release, according to Campbell.


In addition, Campbell explained that in the study, HL-1 cells from mice and later human cells produced in the laboratory were submerged in certain chemicals, but these so-called chemicals found in e-cigarettes are ones that humans have not been exposed to in the last 40,000 years.


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