Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: TUESDAY, October 4, 1994 TAG: 9410040078 SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A5 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short
Animal studies have shown prenatal nicotine does affect certain brain activity once the animal is grown.
But scientists never pursued that link in human beings because no one had ever found a relationship between children's tendency to smoke and prenatal exposure - until now.
``What this really shows is there may be subtle effects on brain function that won't become apparent until 13, 14, 15 years later,'' said Dr. Denise Kandel of Columbia University. ``It's another reason women shouldn't smoke.''
Teen-age girls were four times more likely to smoke if their mothers smoked while pregnant, a risk that remained even when researchers controlled for social influences, Kandel reported in today's American Journal of Public Health.
Kandel theorized that nicotine, which can cross the placenta barrier, stimulates a fetus' receptors for dopamine, the brain chemical involved with drug addiction. This ``priming'' may predispose girls to smoke, Kandel contended.
But prenatally exposed boys weren't at risk. Kandel isn't sure why, but suggested male hormones may protect the male fetus.
by CNB