Dementia Study: Nicotine Can Improve Memory

Nicotine patches can improve the memory of elderly patients in the early stages of mental decline, according to new research.

The pilot study, although too small to provide clinically conclusive results, found the patches improved memory, attention and mental processing in those with mild memory problems.

The research has prompted new interest in whether nicotine could be used to develop treatments to delay the onset of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

Scientists in the US monitored a group of 67 people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) over a period of six months, carrying out memory and "thinking skill" tests to assess their mental function.

Half of the participants, whose average age was 76, were given a daily nicotine skin patch, contacting 15 milligrams of the drug.

The others were asked to wear a placebo patch, containing no active medication.

By the end of the six months, the nicotine-treated group had regained 46% of normal long-term memory for their age. Their ability to pay attention had also improved.

But the scientists were quick to stress that their research does not mean people should start smoking to try to stave off Alzheimer's.

Lead scientist Dr Paul Newhouse, from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville , said: "People with mild memory loss should not start smoking or using nicotine patches by themselves because of the harmful effects of smoking and a medication such as nicotine should only be used with a doctor's supervision.

"But this study provides strong justification for further research into the use of nicotine for people with early signs of memory loss. We do not know whether benefits persist over long periods of time and provide meaningful improvement."

Nicotine, the chemical that makes smoking addictive, is known to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. It has been known for some time that nicotine can have a positive effect on some types of memory function.

But larger and longer-term studies will now be needed to determine the potential of nicotine-based treatments for Alzheimer's and dementia.

Dr Simon Ridley, from the charity Alzheimer's Research UK , said: "This small study looks promising as people with MCI treated with nicotine patches showed improvements in several cognitive tests.

"As we know, nicotine is highly addictive and smoking can increase our risk of Alzheimer's as well as other serious diseases, and so we must interpret the results sensibly.

"We hope that the findings can push scientists towards developing safe and effective therapies to tackle dementia, and with 820,000 people in the UK living with dementia, this need has never been greater."

Dr Anne Corbett, research manager at the Alzheimer's Society , said: "People should under no circumstances consider self-medicating with nicotine patches or cigarettes.

"A great deal more research is needed into this area, and the health risks of smoking massively outweigh any potential nicotine benefits.

"The best way to reduce your risk of developing dementia is to get regular exercise, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, stop smoking and limit your alcohol intake."

Derek Hill, Professor of Medical Imaging Science at University College London , explained: "Developing new drugs that stop Alzheimer's in its tracks is proving really hard, despite pharmaceutical companies investing billions in testing experimental new medicines.

"In fact, it is looking increasingly likely that by the time a patient has full-blown Alzheimer's dementia, it will be too late to treat them.

"This small study produces some tantalizing evidence that treatment of people when they only have mild memory problems might be possible with relatively cheap drugs - in this case nicotine patches.

"Larger and longer studies are now needed to really investigate whether this might be a viable approach to reducing the scourge of dementia in society.

"This study does not demonstrate that dementia can be cured. What it shows is that some people with mild memory problems can have the severity of those problems reduced over a six-month period by using nicotine patches.

"This is potentially exciting, but longer and larger studies are now needed to fully assess the benefit, and whether these outweigh the potential risks."