It reaches the brain in about 10 seconds. When a teen inhales vapor laced with nicotine, the drug is quickly absorbed through the blood vessels lining the lungs. Because the mechanism is so engrained in the brain, it is especially hard to resist. It developed as a positive reinforcement for behavior we need to survive, like eating. The reward system, called the mesolimbic dopamine system, is one of the more primitive parts of the brain. A key reason for this is that “the adolescent brain is more sensitive to rewards,” she explains. “Adolescents don’t think they will get addicted to nicotine, but when they do want to stop, they find it’s very difficult,” says Yale neuroscientist Marina Picciotto, PhD, who has studied the basic science behind nicotine addiction for decades. Nicotine can spell trouble at any life stage, but it is particularly dangerous before the brain is fully developed, which happens around age 25.
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