Olga Trofimova
@olgatrofimova.bsky.social
Researcher in computational biology using imaging, genetics and AI to study cardiovascular health
Huge thanks to @iiuliani.bsky.social and Sven Bergmann for the impactful collaboration, and to everyone involved in this work!
🔗 Full paper: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
🔗 Full paper: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Bidirectional genetic and phenotypic links between smoking and striatal iron content involving dopaminergic and inflammatory pathways
Background and aims Tobacco smoking is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and lung diseases. A better understanding of its neurobiological underpinnings will benefit the prevention of smoking-re...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:45 AM
Huge thanks to @iiuliani.bsky.social and Sven Bergmann for the impactful collaboration, and to everyone involved in this work!
🔗 Full paper: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
🔗 Full paper: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Why this matters:
🧠⚙️ Elevated striatal iron has been linked to cognitive decline in older adults
⏳ Quitting smoking now could help protect brain health as you age
🍷 Together with similar findings in alcohol use, this suggests striatal iron may be a shared neurobiological marker of addiction
🧠⚙️ Elevated striatal iron has been linked to cognitive decline in older adults
⏳ Quitting smoking now could help protect brain health as you age
🍷 Together with similar findings in alcohol use, this suggests striatal iron may be a shared neurobiological marker of addiction
February 9, 2026 at 11:44 AM
Why this matters:
🧠⚙️ Elevated striatal iron has been linked to cognitive decline in older adults
⏳ Quitting smoking now could help protect brain health as you age
🍷 Together with similar findings in alcohol use, this suggests striatal iron may be a shared neurobiological marker of addiction
🧠⚙️ Elevated striatal iron has been linked to cognitive decline in older adults
⏳ Quitting smoking now could help protect brain health as you age
🍷 Together with similar findings in alcohol use, this suggests striatal iron may be a shared neurobiological marker of addiction
🧬 We identified causal links involving synaptic, dopaminergic, inflammatory, and immune pathways
🔁 The relationship is bidirectional: smoking appears to increase striatal iron, and striatal iron may in turn reinforce smoking behavior, helping explain why quitting is so difficult
🔁 The relationship is bidirectional: smoking appears to increase striatal iron, and striatal iron may in turn reinforce smoking behavior, helping explain why quitting is so difficult
February 9, 2026 at 11:43 AM
🧬 We identified causal links involving synaptic, dopaminergic, inflammatory, and immune pathways
🔁 The relationship is bidirectional: smoking appears to increase striatal iron, and striatal iron may in turn reinforce smoking behavior, helping explain why quitting is so difficult
🔁 The relationship is bidirectional: smoking appears to increase striatal iron, and striatal iron may in turn reinforce smoking behavior, helping explain why quitting is so difficult
Using UK Biobank data, brain MRI, genetics, and causal inference methods, we found that:
🧠 Smoking is associated with higher striatal iron, especially in current smokers
📉 Iron levels were lower in former smokers the longer they had quit, suggesting partial recovery over time
🧠 Smoking is associated with higher striatal iron, especially in current smokers
📉 Iron levels were lower in former smokers the longer they had quit, suggesting partial recovery over time
February 9, 2026 at 11:42 AM
Using UK Biobank data, brain MRI, genetics, and causal inference methods, we found that:
🧠 Smoking is associated with higher striatal iron, especially in current smokers
📉 Iron levels were lower in former smokers the longer they had quit, suggesting partial recovery over time
🧠 Smoking is associated with higher striatal iron, especially in current smokers
📉 Iron levels were lower in former smokers the longer they had quit, suggesting partial recovery over time