メディエイゴ

Nicotine May Aid Memory for Some Older Adults: Study

Wearing a nicotine patch may help improve memory loss in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, according to a study published this week in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study looked at those with mild cognitive impairment, the stage between normal aging and dementia when others begin to notice that an individual is developing mild memory or thinking problems. Many patients with MCI go on to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

The study looked at 74 non-smokers with mild cognitive impairment and an average age of 76 at three sites. Half of the patients were given a nicotine patch of 15 mg a day for six months and half received a placebo. The study was designed so that neither the participants nor the investigators knew which group received the nicotine patch.

Paul Newhouse, professor of psychiatry and director of the Center for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who authored the study, said the results should not be viewed as an endorsement of smoking or of nicotine for normal individuals.

“What we and others have shown is that nicotine doesn’t do much for memory and attention in the normal population, but it does do something for those whose cognitive function is already impaired.”

“People with memory loss should not start smoking or using nicotine patches by themselves because there are harmful effects of smoking, and a medication such as nicotine should only be used with a doctor’s supervision,” Newhouse said.