A study has shown that the brain structure of young cigarette smokers changes from others who do not smoke cigarettes.
The study examined data based on brain images and attitudes of more than 800 young people aged 14, 19 and 23. It was led by researchers from the University of Cambridge and Warwick in the UK and Fudan University in China.
The study looked at a relationship between the amount of tissue (gray matter) that carries information in two parts of the brain and the demand for cigarette smoking in adolescence and the maturation of nicotine habit.
According to the researchers, developing a method that can detect the habit of smoking cigarettes can help save millions of lives.
The study found that young people who started smoking cigarettes at the age of 14 had less gray matter in the left-hand box of the brain (which is related to decision-making and rule-breaking).
Professor Trevor Robbins, co-senior author of the study from the University of Cambridge, said that cigarette smoking is one of the most common addictive behaviors in the world.
He said that in the research, low amounts of gray matter in the left part of the brain were associated with an increase in rule-breaking behavior. And this attitude of possibly breaking the rules can lead to the rejection of the principles of anti-cigarette smoking.
Scientists also found less gray matter content in the right side of the brain of cigarette smokers. In this part, the reduction of this substance was seen, drinking alcohol and excessive use of cannabis.
