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Utahns eligible to aid in study exploring if nicotine can improve memory

By Jamie Lampros - Special to the Daily Herald | Jun 14, 2022

Courtesy Andrey Popov via Adobe Stock

The University of Utah is looking for participants to enroll in a national study to determine whether the use of nicotine delivered through a patch can improve memory in people who have been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.

SALT LAKE CITY — When you think of nicotine, heart disease, lung cancer and emphysema might come to mind, but in reality, the substance doesn’t cause any of those things. In fact, researchers believe it can help improve memory.

The University of Utah is looking for participants to enroll in a national study to determine whether the use of nicotine delivered through a patch can improve memory in people who have been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.

“It’s normal for everyone to forget a word or misplace their keys on occasion, but if you’re losing things more often, can’t follow a conversation or remember a scene in a movie you just watched, you shouldn’t dismiss it as a normal part of aging,” said Jennica Galloway, a researcher at the University of Utah in the department of psychiatry, who along with professor Scott Langecker is involved in the study. “It’s really important to get a clear grasp of memory loss and distinguish what is normal and what isn’t.”

Galloway said 10%-15% of people who have mild cognitive impairment go on to develop dementia and 1 in 6 over the age of 60 are living with mild memory loss.

The Memory Improvement through Nicotine Dosing, or MIND, study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, began in 2018 and is the largest and longest study of its kind, with 40 sites across the nation, Galloway said.

“We are still learning a lot about memory and it’s so exciting to see that nicotine may play a positive role,” she said. “Public health has done an excellent job helping us understand that cigarettes are bad for our health, but nicotine can be really effective in improving memory and helping in functioning when used safely. Nicotine has been used in studies for more than 30 years. This study is just the largest and longest.”

According to mind.org, many people may be hesitant to join when they see nicotine is involved. However, it’s the tar and thousands of other chemicals in cigarettes that lead to chronic and even deadly diseases. No tobacco companies are involved in the study.

“We are looking for adults over the age of 55 who have mild cognitive impairment to enroll in the study and we’re also trying to reach out to people of color and minority communities because they typically don’t engage in research because they aren’t getting the information,” Galloway said. “All of the patches are free of charge. There’s no cost to enroll.”

Those who participate will be given a 90-day supply of nicotine or placebo patches at three-month visits, except for the first and last visits, when participants will receive a titration/taper pack for only 30 days. The U of U will also help with transportation services.

To review participation qualifications, go to mind.org or call 866-MIND-150.

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