Nicotine Compound Safely Boosts Memory, Protects Brain

[arcos]

Nicotine Compound Safely Boosts Memory, Protects Brain

A nicotine metabolite that improves memory, protects brain cells from disease and could treat psychotic disorders does it all without the addictive properties of nicotine.

Researcher Jerry Buccafusco and colleagues from the Medical College of Georgia Alzheimer's Research Center say that the metabolite, cotinine, is not the inactive compound that many believed it to be.

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"Our drug cotinine was nearly as effective as a standard clinically used anti-schizophrenic drug in reversing this response," Buccafusco says. "This finding holds tremendous promise for patients suffering from schizophrenia since the drugs currently in use are oftentimes associated with severe, long-term neurological side effects, such as Parkinsonian-like tremors and memory problems."

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http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-11-13-4

[schultzee]

1. I had read about nicotine doing this a few years ago, and now

I am glad that they have isolated the substance that is effective in treating various mental problems.

[Nihil]

2. "This public information research was brought to you by ...

... the Tobacco Industry - working for a better drug-habit each day"

:evilgrin:

[onebigbadwulf]

3. Yes nicotine boosts

several things, including focus, attention, ability to learn, working memory, and concentration.

This comes at the expense of triggering intense stimulation of the VTA in your mesolimbic pathway.

What? Basically it makes it more addictive than crack.

Taking my drugs midterm tomorrow. Sorry.

[Robb]

4. You know, I always wondered

what the tobacco farming world would look like when folks come to their senses and stop smoking. Now, I know. Interesting.