Nicotine patches may help regain memory loss in older adults

Wearing a nicotine patch may help improve memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, a new study has suggested.

Many older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) go on to develop Alzheimer's disease.

The study looked at 74 non-smokers with MCI and an average age of 76. Half of the patients were given a nicotine patch of 15 mg a day for six months and half received a placebo.

The study showed evidence of improvement across multiple cognitive tests for attention memory, speed of processing and consistency of processing. For example, after 6 months of treatment, the nicotine-treated group regained 46 percent of normal performance for age on long-term memory, whereas the placebo group worsened by 26 percent over the same time period.

One area that didn't show significant improvement was that of "global impression," which means a health care provider didn't observe the patient was any better or any worse.

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," he said.

"People with memory loss should not start smoking or using nicotine patches by themselves because there are 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 which may help us determine whether benefits persist over long periods of time and provide meaningful improvement," he added.

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

The study has just been published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. (ANI)