Molecular impact of nicotine and smoking exposure on the developing and adult mouse brain

Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) is associated with significant cognitive and behavioral effects on offspring. While neurodevelopmental outcomes have been studied for prenatal exposure to nicotine, the main psychoactive component of cigarette smoke, its contribution to MSDP effects has never been explored. Comparing the effects of these substances on molecular signaling in the prenatal and adult brain may provide insights into nicotinic and broader tobacco consequences that are developmental-stage specific or age-independent. Pregnant mice were administered nicotine or exposed to chronic cigarette smoke, and RNA-sequencing was performed on frontal cortices of postnatal day 0 pups born to these mice, as well as on frontal cortices and blood of the adult dams. We identified 1,010 and 4,165 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in nicotine and smoking-exposed pup brains, respectively (FDR