US University Study: High Risks of Alcohol and Nicotine During Pregnancy
A study by researchers at the University of Houston shows that consuming a mixture of alcohol and nicotine in early pregnancy may lead to severe deficits in the developing fetal brain. Published in Nature's Scientific Reports, the study titled Using miRNA
A study by researchers at the University of Houston indicates that consuming a mixture of alcohol and nicotine during early pregnancy may lead to severe deficiencies in the developing fetal brain.
The study, published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, is titled “Investigating the Impact of Perinatal Nicotine and Alcohol Exposure on the Genetic Landscape of Dopaminergic Neurons in the VTA Using miRNA-mRNA Analysis,” and found that the mixture of alcohol and nicotine significantly alters the gene regulatory pathways in the developing fetus.
“These pathway changes are critical as they are involved in the formation of neural networks, cell development, and communication,” said Metin Akay, founding chair of biomedical engineering and John S. Dunn Endowed Professor. “Among the many genes and miRNAs that undergo significant changes in response to perinatal nicotine/alcohol co-exposure, pathways related to dopamine cell growth, neuronal migration, axon guidance, neurotrophic signaling, and glutamatergic synapses are among them.”
Addictive substances (in this case, nicotine and alcohol) trigger the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine by activating the mesocorticolimbic DA system (also known as the reward pathway), affecting the brain's reward system.
Akay stated, “The characteristic structure of dopamine neurons is long axons that project to different regions of the brain to establish functional networks, leading to pathways such as the mesocortical DA system.”
“It is highly likely that drug abuse during the perinatal period will regulate the axon guidance of newborns and may lead to network assembly errors.”
Changes in the reward pathway lead to disruptions between certain neurons.
Akay explained that these pathway changes can disrupt neural communication and development, ultimately leading to synaptic rearrangements that may cause neurological disorders. The individual adverse effects of smoking and drinking during pregnancy are well known, but their combined impact has not been thoroughly studied.
“So far, there has been no research examining the effects of maternal co-exposure to alcohol and nicotine on newborn brain development from molecular, cellular, and systemic perspectives,” said Yasemin Akay, a professor of biomedical engineering and co-principal investigator of the project.
She added, “Our team is committed to using customized implantable dopamine probes and artificial intelligence to integrate molecular, cellular, and systemic data to better understand addiction mechanisms and develop effective treatments.”
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