The same nicotine found in cigarettes is chemically similar to acetylcholine, a natural chemical in the brain associated with memory performance. When acetylcholine levels are reduced due to certain conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), memory performance is also reduced.
That may explain the findings of a study published in Neurology that a nicotine patch helped improve the memory performance of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a likely pre-curser of AD, versus people on a plecebo patch. Memory performance of those on placebo stayed the same or got worse. This research suggests that nicotine may also help improve attention and mental processing in addition to memory.
This modest 6 month study – involving 70 people over age 55 – is the largest trial ever performed looking at how nicotine might improve memory. Researchers explain that nicotine actually mimics the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which stimulates nerve cell receptors in the brain. Stimulating these receptors revs up the system involved in attention, learning and memory skills.
This helps explain why when smokers quit and cut their nicotine intake to zero, they may have a harder time remembering things. Eventually, their brains rebound and memory returns to normal if the person’s memory function is normal and not impaired by MCI.
The study did not show a significant change in subjects’ ability to handle life’s everyday problems, despite nicotine improving their memory somewhat.
While subjects suffered no serious side effects and had no trouble discontinuing the treatment, all thoughts of using a nicotine patch should be discussed with your physician or health provider first.
A larger and longer trial to more fully determine the effect of nicotine therapy on the trajectory of how people decline in dementia.
