Nicotine Good for Memory?

[TropicalBob]

Smoking is a genetic crapshoot, at best. Three bullets in a six-shooter cylinder of a revolver. Put it to your head and pull the trigger. That's cigarette smoking. Ignore the science at your peril. But nicotine has benefits against certain conditions, including your mother's. You can get nicotine from e-smoking. Do not promote inhaling tobacco smoke as some kind of beneficial treatment unless you can site medical authorities in even Third World countries who would make such a claim. In all my reading on this topic, I've never found that. Quite the contrary.

[karenwest1961]

You are right T-Bob. Smoking IS a genetic crapshoot.

Researchers find genetic link to lung cancer

The papers said that people who inherit the variation from one parent have a 30% greater chance of getting lung cancer. Those who inherit the variation from both parents face an increased risk of 70% to 80%.

The discovery might help explain why some smokers don’t get lung cancer and why some occasional smokers don’t become addicted, researchers said.

This study mentions nothing about nicotine. It is the delivery of nicotine - via smoking - that is the issue.

I've always believed that nicotine had some sort of medicinal purposes besides patches and gums for those who want to quit smoking.

Just like cannibas (not talking about smoking weed here) has it's medicinal purposes. From the Washington Post last November:
Cannabis Compound May Stop Metastatic Breast Cancer

Bottom line is, no good comes out of smoking this stuff. It's the compounds that could benefit us.

[Kate]

Originally Posted by TheEmperorOfIceCream

Anecdotal, probably apocryphal, but I've heard the following story a number of times over the last few years:

The development of Parkinsons, Alzheimers and Dementia could be retarded by smoking. This is because the dendrites of the brain get furred, which interferes with synaptic processes. Nicotine lodges in the brain, and being an oily substance, inhibits the fuzziness from forming.

As I say, this is anecdotal (I have no idea if 'brain fuzz' exists) and reads like the case for the defence, but I put it up in case anyone has similar stories or maybe a source.

Emp

I found this today - Nicotine neuroprotection

"The prevailing hypothesis among researchers is that nicotine helps protect the brain by binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors that sit on the end of nerve terminals. This action by nicotine, similar to turning up the volume of a radio signal, causes brain cells to increase the release of neurotransmitters depleted in diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's."

[TropicalBob]

This is as good a place as any to quote from an article on nicotine's effects:

Neurotoxicity

Two opposing concepts confound the issue of nicotine's neurotoxicity: nicotine has a protecting effect in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease due to antioxidant properties, yet can induce cognitive impairments in the offspring of smoking mothers from oxidative cellular injury. So is nicotine neurotoxic? At first glance, it would appear that the answer is yes, since nicotine can decrease glutathione levels and increase oxidative markers such as malondialdehyde, lactate dehydrogenase, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide ion.

However, evidence of increased oxidative stress is only evident when high dose nicotine is administered (1mM or 162mg and up). Lower dose nicotine appears to have free radical scavenging effects and protects against lipid peroxidation. It is also this "lower dose nicotine" (.1mM or 16mg) that most smokers are using, and in these quantities it seems to be protective against Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

E-smoking is low-dose nicotine delivery, so the above amounts to a benefit from our practice.

[Denni]

can induce cognitive impairments in the offspring of smoking mothers from oxidative cellular injury.

How did they control for the effects of other substances in cigarette smoke in that study?

I reckon (as you say) that--while the 'hit' is definitely there--the e-cig doesn't deliver more nicotine per unit time than, say, 4mg lozenges or even 2mg microtabs, so if there was a problem at these dosages then other nic replacement aids would have to be scrutinized as well.

[want.c10h14n2]

It would be nice if there is SOME benefit to this habit.... besides not having to face withdrawal, lol

[SmokingInTexas]

I was going to post here.....but now....I can't remember why....?

[Kimmiegrif]

nicotine definitely helps the ADHD focus...

[edisme518123]

I've found that with nicotine it is much easier for me to stay alert and focused. It sometimes can wake me up, similar to caffiene, but also calms me at the same time. I generally get higher scores on standardized tests after consuming nicotine than I would without nicotine. Without nicotine my thoughts are often overactive and jumbled, similar to trying to have multiple conversations with multiple people at once. I often think on 2-3 tracks at a time, and sometimes as much as 4 or 5 if I'm feeling particularly perky that day. Caffiene worsens this condition as it allows me to think more efficiently and therefore concentrate on more things at once. Nicotine helps me eliminate all of the excess chatter and focus on 1 or 2 topics at a time.

I've also found it to relieve stress and prevent oncoming stress from building. I also have fairly low blood pressure (sometimes when I stand up too quickly I will become light-headed, or if I try to quickly begin rigourous activity I find I need to sort of psych myself up first). Nicotine seems to level this out as well, (I think by raising my blood pressure slightly), and while on nicotine I no longer experience either of the previously mentioned effects. It also prevents minor muscle spasms (shaky hands or eyes). I find it easier to focus my eyes, and in turn, easier to read, especially while reading small text even though I have better than average vision.

Can anyone else relate to any of these benefits or possibly add some?

[m1sterlurk]

Originally Posted by Kimmiegrif

nicotine definitely helps the ADHD focus...

I know this from experience

Nicotine and Amphetamine have the same major brain effect (inhibition of monoamine oxidase production, which increases levels of dopamine, serotonin, and other things, thank you Wikipedia).

I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until a few months ago, and it's probably why I started smoking now that I think about it.