NATURE ACADEMIC JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
For papers that will be published online on 21 March 2007
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************************* NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY********************
(http://www.nature.com/npp/)
Developmental nicotine exposure diminishes attention capacity
DOI:10.1038/sj.npp.1301398
Teen smokers who were also exposed to nicotine before birth show a dramatic reduction in attention capacities related to vision and hearing, reports the journal Neuropsychopharmacology this week. The study, led by Leslie Jacobsen and colleagues, also demonstrates that male and female attention capacities are affected by the exposure in different ways.
Jacobsen’s team found that girls who smoke and were subject to nicotine exposure in the womb performed most poorly in both visual and auditory attention tasks. Individuals who do not smoke and did not have prenatal exposure performed most accurately. As expected of a dose-dependent effect, those performing in between were individuals who smoke but whose mothers did not, or individuals who do not smoke themselves but whose mothers did during pregnancy. In boys, nicotine exposure had a greater effect on auditory attention, suggesting that brain regions involved in auditory attention may be more vulnerable to nicotine in boys. These gender-specific effects may result from differences in hormonal control of nicotine’s actions.
Previous studies on smoking have found that rates of tobacco smoking and nicotine dependence are higher among individuals prenatally exposed to maternal smoking. The Center for Disease Control reports that smoking during pregnancy is the single most preventable cause of illness and death among mothers and infants. Prior to this study, very little research was available on the less dramatic effects of exposure to smoking such as the impact on attention capacity.
Author contact:
Leslie Jacobsen, (Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA)
Tel: + 1 203 764 8480; E-mail: [email protected]
Editorial contact:
Joyce-Rachel John (NPG Academic Journals, New York, NY, USA)
Tel: +1 212 726 9214; E-mail: [email protected]
**************************** KIDNEY INTERNATIONAL ***************************
(www.nature.com/ki/)
New insight into preeclampsia
DOI: 10.1038/sj.ki.5002175
A new model of preeclampsia in primates is described online this week in Kidney International. The study shows that reduction of the blood flow to the uterus and placenta in pregnant baboons causes a number of signs of human preeclampsia.
Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder that affects 5% of pregnancies and results in both maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. There is no treatment other than induced delivery of the baby. Despite much research, the causes and mechanisms of preeclampsia have remained unclear. Angela Makris and colleagues now offer new insight into the condition with a primate model of preeclampsia induced by tying off one of the uterine arteries. The resulting low blood flow – ischemia – causes increased blood pressure and protein in the mother’s urine, both of which are important features of preeclampsia. The study suggests that a reduction in placental blood perfusion results in the development of the condition.
Author contact:
Angela Makris (Heart Research Institute and University of Sydney)
Tel: +61 2 8208 8900; E-mail: [email protected]
Editorial contact:
Radha McLean (Kidney International)
Tel: +1 212 342 5743; E-mail: [email protected]
Pat Morrissey (Kidney International)
Tel: +1 314 454 8919; E-mail: [email protected]
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