Nicotine Addiction Causes Unique Detrimental Effects on Women's Brains

Nicotine addiction produces diverse physiological effects common to both men and women because of activation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. In addition to these effects, nicotine reduces circulating estrogen (the female sex hormone) levels and leads to early onset of menopause in women. Nicotine's effect on estrogen metabolism has potential far-reaching consequences because endogenous circulating estrogen helps prevent cerebrovascular diseases in premenopausal women. In this article, the author presents a survey of literature showing that nicotine addiction causes unique deleterious effects in women's brains by inhibiting estrogen signaling, which makes the brain more susceptible to ischemic brain damage.