Nicotine Patch May Help Memory-Loss Sufferers, Study Shows

(FOX News) - A new study found that nicotine may have some therapeutic effects in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the phase of mental decline that falls somewhere between normal age-related forgetfulness and debilitating Alzheimer's disease.

The study, published Tuesday in the journal Neurology, found that older adults with memory and cognition problems who do not meet the criteria for dementia may get a significant mental boost from using an over-the-counter nicotine patch.

This may prove important since currently, there are no approved treatments for MCI.

Nicotine stimulates acetylcholine receptors in the brain that are important for thinking and memory. It was tested in people with Alzheimer's disease but did not prove helpful, likely because people with advanced dementia already lost most of these receptors, so nicotine has nothing to lock onto.

In MCI, however, people still have many of these receptors -- so, theoretically, nicotine would be more effective, according to lead author Dr. Paul Newhouse, director for the Center for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

In the study, subjects with MCI were randomized into a group that wore a nicotine patch or a control group. After six months of treatment, those who wore the nicotine patches regained 46 percent of normal performance for their age on long-term memory, whereas the control group actually worsened by 26 percent over the same time period. Some improvements in memory were seen as early as three months.

"We also saw consistent improvements in attention, cognitive speed and other measures of cognition," Newhouse said.

Newhouse was quick to warn that the study was preliminary and that people should not run to the drugstore to get a nicotine patch. Those who suspect they or a family member may have MCI should get a complete evaluation by their doctor before starting any treatment, even an over-the-counter one.

Read more: FOX News