Possible role of nicotine for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment

Abstract

Evaluation of: Newhouse P, Kellar K, Aisen P et al. Nicotine treatment of mild cognitive impairment: a 6-month double-blind pilot clinical trial. Neurology 78(2), 91–101 (2012).There have been several drug trials in recent years investigating the efficacy of commonly used Alzheimer’s disease therapies for symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, there are no US FDA-approved pharmacological treatments for MCI. As the incidence rates of MCI are considerable, it is clear that better treatments for MCI need to be developed. The reviewed paper presents new data on a pilot clinical trial which shows that transdermal nicotine treatment for 6 months improved cognitive performance in subjects with amnestic MCI. Further studies will possibly bring us wider usage of nicotine for individuals with cognitive dysfunction.