Impact of nicotine vaping varies with age and sex 

While vaping has become popular, researchers say methods to study the effects of inhaling vapour are limited. (Pexels/Olena Bohovyk) New study on vapes challenges belief that adolescents experience less severe withdrawal symptoms from nicotine than adults  Vapes or e-cigarettes were introduced as a potentially safer alternative to traditional smoking to curb tobacco use. However, the popularity of vapes has risen among an age group it wasn't intended for: adolescents. While the entire breadth of the health effects of vaping is still being unveiled, previous research has shown one in four high school students in Canada have reported vaping in the preceding 30 days, with almost 12 per cent having reported exclusively using nicotine vapes. A new study, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology , examined the effects of nicotine vapour exposure in rat models to understand nicotine-induced reward and withdrawal behaviour, brain connectivity and how the body processes nicotine. The study, led by Western professor Jibran Khokhar and graduate student and Vanier scholarship winner Jude Frie, has shown that factors of sex and age influence the body's response to nicotine vapour. Jibran Khokhar, professor, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry "By using the route of exposure and brain circuit assessment methods akin to those used in humans, the findings here can hopefully demystify the effects of nicotine vaping on the adolescent and the adult human brain, and the important role that sex plays in these effects," said Khokhar, Canada Research Chair in Translational Neuropsychopharmacology and professor at Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.