Riya Apte

How does cigarette smoking affect the chances of schizophrenia development?

Started June 10, 2024

Abstract or project description

This paper focuses on the effects of smoking cigarettes on the development of schizophrenia, a neurological condition in which individuals present symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, negatively impacting their ability to live a normal life. Schizophrenia is caused by a significant increase of dopaminergic neurons within the brain. Billions of people smoke cigarettes globally, underscoring the importance and application of this study worldwide. Nicotine, a chemical stimulant present in cigarettes, has shown to increase the activity of dopaminergic neurons, possibly triggering the onset of schizophrenia. The data used in this study was a series of fMRI scans, comparing smokers and nonsmokers with and without schizophrenia. It was retrieved through Openneuro.org, a public database for neuroimaging scans, and analyzed through CBrain and FSL software. fMRI scans highlighted chronnectomic (neuronal connectivity over time) density levels of each control group (SZ smokers, SZ nonsmokers, healthy smokers, healthy nonsmokers) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) to examine activity in each treatment group. Results validated and furthered the basis of research: cigarette smoking diminishes neuronal connectivity in the dlPFC, and it is unable to be restored through this type of degradation; schizophrenia onset is likely due to lower connectivity in the dlPFC. Although a direct causal relationship cannot be established, these findings allow for further experimentation. Based on the analysis of the data, future studies could focus on the impact of other stimulant drugs or medications on the development of schizophrenia.