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| Effects of Smoking on the Brain |
The findings of a study carried out as a portion of a Scottish Mental Health Survey (published in the New Scientist magazine) showed that smoking could work in reducing a person’s cognitive abilities and memory. This study involved over 450 subjects, and was spread over of period of more than fifty years. A study led by researchers from the Indian National Brain Research Centre (published in the Journal of Neurochemistry) showed that smoking can lead to neuroinflamation, which can further lead to complications like multiple sclerosis. The basis of this finding revolve around the presence of a compound referred to as NNK which is commonly found in all tobacco products. This compound is a pro-carcinogen, that is, it becomes carcinogenic after it goes through the body’s metabolic processes. It actively works in provoking the WBCs to attack other healthy cells, and this can lead to significant neurological damage. Also, unlike drug or alcohol dependency, while NNK does not seem to have a direct effect on the brain cells, it can lead to neuroinflamation.
Nicotine gets to the brain after about 10-15 seconds of the smoke being inhaled, and it at its active best for the next 20-30 minutes. Once it gets to the brain it works in changing and controlling the brain’s receptor cells. This leads to the brain chemistry being affected, and this in turn, would have a direct impact on the smoker’s mood.
