PMID:
J Nucl Med. 2019 Nov 1. Epub 2019 Nov 1. PMID: 31676729
Abstract Title:
Rapid Brain Nicotine Uptake from Electronic Cigarettes.
Abstract:
This study sought to determine brain nicotine kinetics from the use of increasingly popular electronic cigarettes (E-cigs).Brain uptake of nicotine following inhalation from E-cigs was directly assessed in 17 E-cig users (8 females), usingC-nicotine and positron emission tomography. The brain nicotine kinetics parameters from E-cigs were compared with those from smoking combustible cigarettes (C-cigs).After inhalation of a single puff of E-cig vapor, brain nicotine concentration rose quickly (mean T1/2 27 sec) with a peak amplitude 25% higher in females than males, resembling previous observations with C-cigs. Nonetheless, brain nicotine accumulation from E-cigs was smaller than that from C-cigs in both males and females (24% and 32%, respectively).E-cigs can deliver nicotine rapidly to the brain. Therefore, to the extent that rapid brain uptake promotes smoking reward, e-cigarettes might maintain a degree of nicotine dependence and also serve as non-combustible substitutes for cigarettes.
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