Smoking may increase sensitivity to social stress 

Lighting a cigarette may not be a good way to relax and it may increase sensitivity to social stress, according to a new study by the French National Centre for Scientific Research published on Tuesday. Researchers found that exposure to nicotine, rather than withdrawal from it, which is commonly seen as anxiety-inducing in smokers, produced a stressing effect on lab mice.

The experiments suggests:

• Philippe Faure, the centre’s head of research, during the study’s presentation in Paris.
• The experiments suggest that nicotine could enhance the effects of stress.
• Scientists from the University of Paris-Seine’s Neuroscience Laboratory.
• In addition, the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis’ Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology.
• They evaluated the levels of social stress in the rodents when exposed to nicotine.
• Social stress was induce when the critters were subject to repeat aggressions by their dominant congeners.
• The nicotine receptors of some of the specimens were block, while others had their receptors active.
• By studying their behaviour and the electrophysiological parameters of their brains.
• The centre’s experts found no signs of social stress when the receptors were block.
• The opposite occurred in mice with activated nicotine receptors, who showed signs of increased social stress.
• Researchers have also been able to confirm that a mouse subjected to a single act of aggression.
• By one of its congeners show signs of stress only if it had  previously exposed to nicotine,” the study said.
• Although the research focused on mice.
• The centre said it would now study whether the results were translatable to human beings.
• As well as look into nicotine’s effects on other mood disorders.