Do non-menthol vaping coolants make nicotine more addictive?
Official title: Determining the impact of synthetic coolants on abuse liability and initiation-related behaviors
Funded at Marshall University · NIH-11262256 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are testing whether new synthetic cooling chemicals in e-cigarettes make nicotine more addictive, especially for young people who try vaping.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Marshall University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Huntington, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | February 1, 2025 |
| Project end | January 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $370,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA060846-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11262256 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Current or former e-cigarette users and adolescents or young adults at risk of initiating vaping would be the most relevant people for related human follow-up studies.
✕Less likely to help
People who have never used nicotine products or whose addiction is driven by factors unrelated to flavor additives may not directly benefit from this work.
What this research studies
This project will look at whether synthetic coolants used in vaping change how rewarding nicotine feels by using a novel vapor self-administration model and measuring brain changes tied to addiction. The team will connect vaping behavior to biological markers like increases in nicotine receptors (nAChR upregulation) and shifts in neurophysiology. The goal is to understand if these additives could increase the chances that people, particularly adolescents, start vaping or have a harder time quitting. Those findings could help regulators decide whether these coolants pose extra risks to public health.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the results could show whether synthetic coolants raise addiction risk and inform policies that reduce youth vaping and improve cessation support.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown menthol can enhance nicotine's addictive effects, but research on non-menthol synthetic coolants is limited, so this work is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Marshall University
Huntington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Henderson, Brandon Jarrod — Marshall University
- Study coordinator: Henderson, Brandon Jarrod
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.