The nicotine patch was designed to help smokers kick the habit by easing their nicotine addiction, but new research shows that the patch may help improve memory in older adults as well. According to ABC News, a small clinical trial from Vanderbilt University shows that people with mild cognitive impairment who wore the patch for six months showed a 46 percent improvement on long-term memory tests.
For the study, researchers recruited 67 non-smokers with mild cognitive impairment and divided them into two groups. One group received a patch with 15 milligrams of nicotine, while the other received a placebo patch. The patches were replaced daily, and neither the patients nor the researchers knew which group was getting the drug.
Six months later, the study participants were tested for “normal performance” on long-term memory tests. Those who received the patch performed an average of 46 percent better, while those who received the placebo worsened by 26 percent.
The results have researchers excited as mild cognitive impairment is often considered a pre-cursor to Alzheimer’s disease.
“We’re pretty excited that we got a strong sign of improvement, and we think it has great implications going forward,” said study leader Paul Newhouse. “We reasoned that if it helps in early Alzheimer’s, we might be able to move back even further into patients with mild memory loss.”
