Nicotine patches used to quit smoking may help combat mild memory loss in older people, surprising results from a study published in Neurology , the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, show.
The trial was conducted with non-smokers with mild memory impairment and a mean age of around 76 years. Half of them were given nicotine patches for six months and the rest received a placebo. At the end of the experiment, patients treated with patches showed better results in a series of cognitive tests that evaluated attention, memory and other mental abilities.
However, Paul Newhouse, one of the study’s authors, cautions that this work should not be interpreted as a call for people to start smoking , as the ranges in which nicotine can stimulate brain receptors are not precisely known. important to think about and memorize. In fact, the researcher affirms that it has no effect on the memory of the normal population, but it can do something for those with already impaired cognitive functions. “People with mild memory disorders should not start smoking at all,” he says, “and a nicotine treatment should only be administered under strict medical supervision.”
More studies will be necessary to evaluate the long-term effects of this surprising drug that can help counteract some of the effects of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s although, as Newhouse highlighted, the real challenge will be to find the prevention mechanisms that allow treatment in time these illnesses.
