Thickness of the Brain Gets Reduced Due to Smoking

According to a study conducted by researchers smoking can result in the decrease of brain thickness.

Researchers compared cortical thickness in volunteers, both smokers and never-smokers, who were without medical or psychiatric illnesses.

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Smokers exhibited cortical thinning in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex and heavier smoking was associated with more pronounced thinning of cortical tissue.

The current findings suggest that smoking-related cortical thinning may increase the risk for addictions, including smoking.

"Since the brain region in which we found the smoking-associated thinning has been related to impulse control, reward processing and decision making, this might explain how nicotine addiction comes about," explained Simone Kuhn.

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"In a follow-up study, we plan to explore the rehabilitative effects of quitting smoking on the brain," he added.

"The current findings suggest that smoking may have a cumulative effect on the brain," noted John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry and Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at Yale University.

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"This concerning finding highlights the importance of targeting young smokers for antismoking interventions."

The study is published in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry.

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Source-ANI