Using nicotine could change the genes in a man's sperm and affect how his children develop, researchers at Florida State University in Tallahassee concluded. Mice who were exposed to nicotine had “significant” changes in the DNA of their sperm. And their offspring were born with abnormalities in the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline, and their receptors, which are believed to play a key role in the development of behavioral disorders.