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Nicotine Found Beneficial in Brain Function
Email Bulletin by AlzheimersSupport Staff
06-07-2000 - Dr Paul Newhouse, a memory specialist at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, found that a nicotine-like drug seemed to improve memory and other brain functions in some Alzheimer’s patients. The first studies show that some patients with brain disorders experience a reduction of memory loss.
However, Newhouse does not recommend that patients rush out and buy nicotine products. Only a handful of studies have been done at this stage, and more research is necessary before definitive recommendations are made.
Nicotine has great potential for the future. Researchers have determined that its chemical structure imitates that of acetylcholine, another brain chemical linked to memory and attention. Receptors sit on the nerve cells of the brain. In a disease like Alzheimer’s, nerve cells die off, leaving behind surplus acetylcholine and other chemicals that affect the transmission of brain signals. Nicotine, like acetylcholine, works on these receptor sites to strengthen the signals of these residual chemicals. The result is some improvement in nerve cell function.
Source: Medscape Inc.
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