New York - Nicotine-like compounds can improve memory and might one day be used in pills to treat disorders like Alzheimer's disease, according to research on laboratory animals. But while the finding supports smokers' contention that cigarettes improve their mental alertness, scientists still warned that no one should smoke.
"The relationship between lung cancer and smoking is clear and it's not the way you want to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease," said Dr Esther Sabban, a biochemistry and molecular biology professor at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York. However, scientists do not advocate turning to other sources of nicotine before further studies substantiate early research on rats.