Melissa Little, PhD, MPH
Melissa Little, PhD, MPH, an associate professor in the UVA Department of Public Health Sciences and director of the Center for Tobacco Prevention and Control Research, was featured in USA Today and over 50 national outlets discussing how hiccups are linked to nicotine use.
A 2021 study examining the Food and Drug Administration’s adverse-event reporting system revealed that nicotine was linked to hiccups. According to Dr. Little, nicotine works by binding to receptors in the brain and nervous system. When these receptors are activated, they trigger the release of neurotransmitters throughout the body. One of these neurotransmitters, dopamine, helps regulate the phrenic nerve, which controls diaphragm movement during breathing.
“Instead of them doing what they usually do, they get a little messed up and get activated in certain ways,” Dr. Little said. “And that can induce hiccups.”
Read full article at USA Today.
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