Nicotine Patches May Improve Memory Loss In Older Adults

Nicotine Patches May Improve Memory Loss In Older Adults

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

Paul Newhouse, M.D., professor of Psychiatry and director of the Center for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who authored the study, said the results of the study 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."

Nicotine stimulates receptors in the brain that are important for thinking and memory and may have neuroprotective effects. People with Alzheimer's disease lose some of those receptors.

Newhouse said the future of nicotinic treatment is to try to identify earlier stages at which treatment can be applied, to see if it changes the trajectory of those who already have evidence of memory loss. "I don't think it's going to become a treatment for Alzheimer's disease by itself. The holy grail would be changing the deterioration curve."

Newhouse said that future study is needed. "We need to do a much longer and larger study, to see if we can make a significant impact on the process of change.”

Posted by George Daniels on Friday January 13 2012, 4:23 AM EDT. Ref: Paul Newhouse, M.D., et al. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0