P.L.U.M LIFESTYLE BREAKING NEWS 

NICOTINE HELPING MEMORY LOSS

Is it me or has the scientist finally awaken to the fact that nicotine has medicinal use. According to Foxnews.com, a study, published in the January issue of the journal Neurology, found that older adults with memory and cognition problems who don’t meet the criteria for dementia may get a significant mental boost from using an over-the-counter nicotine patch.  In the study, subjects with MCI (MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT)were randomized into a control group that wore a nicotine patch. After six months of treatment,

those who wore the nicotine patches regained 46 percent of normal performance for their age on long-term memory, whereas the control group actually worsened by 26 percent over the same time period. Some improvements in memory were seen as early as three months. This may prove important since currently, there are no approved treatments for mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Nicotine stimulates acetylcholine receptors in the brain that are important for thinking and memory. It has previously been tested in people with Alzheimer’s, but not been proven helpful, likely because people with advanced dementia have already lost most of these receptors so nicotine has nothing to lock onto. In MCI, however, people still have many of these receptors, so theoretically, nicotine would be more effective, explains the study’s lead author Dr. Paul Newhouse,  Director for the Center for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in Nashville, Tenn.

The amount of nicotine used in the study was similar to what’s contained in the OTC Nicotrol patch for people trying to quit smoking. Cigarettes deliver about one milligram of nicotine, whereas the patch delivers about 15 milligrams over the course of the day. Some subjects experienced a few side minor effects such as nausea and some weight loss, but no one demonstrated any signs of addiction to the nicotine.