Smoking and Cardiovascular Diseases Linked to Dementia

Smoking and cardiovascular disease both are found to impair the ability to learn and memorize.

Smoking and cardiovascular disease both are found to impair the ability to learn and memorize as per the largest study at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The effect of smoking was found to be more pronounced among females, while males are more impaired by cardiovascular disease. Earlier studies to quantify cognitive function among smokers and assess sex differences produced mixed results due to the limited size of previous data sets.

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‘Smoking and cardiovascular disease both are found to impair the ability to learn and memorize. This TGen-led study of 70,000 individuals is the first study to link dementia to smoking and cardiovascular disease. It shows that women were impaired more by smoking and men impaired more by cardiovascular disease. However further analysis is required for planning the improvement of further treatments.’

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common causes of cognitive decline among humans. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to gradual memory loss and behavioral changes. It is characterized by the formation of beta-amyloid plaques and the tau proteins in the brain tissues, years before the actual symptoms occur.

Besides Alzheimer's disease, the most significant cause of cognitive decline is known as "vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia" or VCID, which arises from stroke and other vascular brain injuries that cause significant changes to memory, thinking and behavior: smoking and cardiovascular disease exacerbate VCID.

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Cigarette smoking is the nation's leading cause of preventable disease and death, accounting for nearly 1 in 5 deaths, and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of disease and death worldwide, and is an important predictor of cognitive decline and VCID. Vascular diseases also are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's, which is the nation's 6th leading cause of death.

Hence the present study analyzed data representing more than 70,000 individuals globally with a wide range of adults from age 18-85 years old, generated through TGen's online cognitive test called MindCrowd. This helped to find a link between smoking, cardiovascular disease, and cognition.

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It was found that smoking and cardiovascular disease have an impact on verbal learning and memory throughout adulthood. It was also observed that smoking is associated with decreased learning and memory function in women, while cardiovascular is associated with decreased learning and memory function in men.

"The reasons for these sex-modification effects are not entirely understood. Our findings highlight the importance of considering biological sex in studying vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia," says Candace Lewis, Ph.D., a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Huentelman's Lab, and the study's lead author.

The researcher team had noted that few studies have previously assessed the effects of cardiovascular disease in younger adults, and that understanding the relationship between cardiovascular disease and cognitive function in young adults may be necessary for understanding the possible treatment and intervention opportunities.

"This study points out some unpredicted but important differences between the sexes relating to cognitive decline. The impact on mental acuity seems progressive over time -- some more rapid than others. Living habits related to diet, exercise and smoking certainly are consequential and may differ between men and women. People undergoing cancer care may be cognitively effected by the cancer and its treatment. This study supports the importance of maintaining cardiovascular health and quitting smoking not only in support of their cancer care but to improve brain function," says Brian Tiep, M.D., City of Hope director of pulmonary rehabilitation and smoking cessation.

Source-Medindia