Because she's trying to quit-that is quit forgetting things. Researchers have discovered that small, steady doses of nicotine reduce the mild but annoying memory loss that accompanies aging even in healthy people. This means that memory boosting patches may one day become common.
By putting a group of seniors “on the patch” for a month and the testing their memory, a research team at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, redeemed some of nicotine's dismal reputation. Nicotine, it was found, can alleviate symptoms of age related memory loss -by reducing the number of those forgetful “senior moments,” for instance. It may even prevent, or at least slow down, the decline of memory function in the first place.
How It Works
Most people think of nicotine only as the addictive ingredient in Tobacco. But, as many a chain-smoking college student cramming for exams can testify, it can also enhance mental function. That's because nicotine duplicates the action of a natural brain chemical called acetylcholine, which is released at nerve endings to help with learning and memory. When nicotine is introduced into the brain, it's like boosting the workforce at the construction site. Beams are lifted and walls erected more easily.
Earlier research had suggested that nicotine's ability to mimic acetylcholine can help people with major brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The new study, reported in October 2003 in the journal Psychopharmacology, unveiled nicotine's beneficial effects on a much less serious malady known as age-associated memory impairment .This is the unwelcome “I can't find my keys” and “where'd I put my glasses?” syndrome that's common in older adults. Subjects who whore the nicotine patches noticed a marked improvement in their memories. Those who (without knowing it) had fake patches noticed no change at all.
Availability
The study volunteers wore the same patches that are used for quitting smoking, which feed small, metered doses of nicotine into the blood-stream through the skin to help smoker get through the withdrawal stage of smoking cessation. However, the researcher warn against using these patches for memory enhancement .For one thing, the study was very small, involving only 11 subjects. Its findings, as impressive as they are, need to be duplicated in larger studies. More important, nicotine skin patches for the long term can be dangerous. The most likely next step will be the development of a nicotine-like drug that delivers nicotine's memory-enhancing benefits without its negative side effects.
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.