Prenatal nicotine alters development of the laterodorsal tegmentum: Possible role for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and drug dependence

Core Tip

Core Tip: Offspring of women who used nicotine-containing products while pregnant exhibit risk factors for later-life development of cognitive deficits, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and drug dependence. This suggests that circuits that play a role in cognition are being altered by nicotine. The laterodorsal tegmental nucleus of the pons plays a role in attention, motivation, and other cognitive-related processes, and nicotine during gestation has been shown in animal studies to alter functioning of this nucleus. In this review, we discuss the human and animal literature that indicate that alterations in functioning of the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus could arise following prenatal nicotine exposure, and that these alterations could play a role in the negative risks associated with early-life nicotine exposure.