The Earlier You Light Up, the Harder to Quit

If you started smoking as a teenager, you may be particularly vulnerable to long-term nicotine addiction.

An animal study by Duke University Medical Center researchers found the age at which rats begin using nicotine can have a major physiological impact to encourage later use of nicotine.

The researchers compared the amount of nicotine self-administered by adolescent rats to the amount used by rats first exposed to nicotine during adulthood. The study found the young rats used nearly double the rate of nicotine compared to the adult rats. The young rats' heavy nicotine use persisted into adulthood.

The study appears in the September issue of Psychopharmacology.

"The results indicate that early nicotine exposure can leave a lasting imprint on the brain," researcher Edward Levin, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, says in a news release.

He notes that among smokers in the United States, 88 percent smoked their first cigarette before the age of 18 and 60 percent took their first puff before age 14.

"The great majority of tobacco addiction begins during adolescence, yet little is known about differential effects of nicotine in adolescents versus adults," Levin says.

"The brain continues to develop through the teenage years. Early nicotine use may cause the wiring of the brain to proceed inappropriately. In essence, the brains of adolescents who use tobacco may be sculpted around an addiction to nicotine," Levin adds.

More information

Here's where you can learn more about nicotine addiction.

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