Smoking is linked to several brain changes, including gray matter (GM) atrophy. However, studies have not been able to disentangle GM loss associated with smoking from those related to vascular, respiratory or substance use/psychological factors. MRI studies with large community-based cohorts of middle-aged and older adults have shown that current smokers are inferior to non-smokers on neurocognitive tests of attention, memory, mental arithmetic, verbal fluency and information processing speed.
Addiction
Studies indicate that adolescent smokers develop symptoms of dependency much faster than adults. Scientists have also found that having higher levels of a nicotine byproduct in the body can negatively impact cognitive test scores. This was true even when controlling for other health factors like high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes, which also affects cognition. What is the difference between smokers brain vs healthy brain? Studies have shown that smokers tend to have a thinner cerebral cortex compared to non-smokers. This means that smoking can lead to a reduction in the grey matter of the brain. It is important to note that the cerebral cortex plays a crucial role in thinking skills such as memory and learning. Therefore, having a thicker cerebral cortex is beneficial for optimal cognitive function. People who become addicted to substances or behaviors like smoking can experience feelings of pleasure and rewards from these activities that they normally wouldn’t experience if not engaging in the behavior. This is because the brain changes that occur during addiction shift how the brain processes reward. The brain is especially vulnerable to addictive substances and behaviors during adolescence because that’s when the prefrontal cortex, one of the last areas to mature, becomes most sensitive to nicotine.
Cognitive Decline
Cognitive decline is a normal part of aging, but significant changes in memory and thinking abilities can indicate a more serious health condition. Psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety can also cause problems with memory and thinking. Smoking affects the brain’s prefrontal cortex (PFC), important for attention performance and executive functions. This region of the brain is still maturing during adolescence, making teens more vulnerable to smoking behavior and addiction. Recent studies have found that people with higher levels of nicotine byproducts in their blood scored lower on a wide range of cognitive tests. This was true even when taking into account other health conditions, such as high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, which can also negatively impact cognitive functioning. These findings suggest that smoking independently harms the brain.
Depression
Smoking tobacco can also cause chemical changes and oxidative stress in the brain, as well as increase the risk of depression. It can also lead to a build-up of tar, which can coat the lungs and affect breathing, and it contains carbon monoxide, a toxic gas that can replace oxygen in the blood and cause death. When nicotine enters the body, it immediately activates structures that release a brain chemical called dopamine. This causes the pleasure response that makes you want to smoke again and again. Researchers have found that people who regularly smoke are twice as likely to experience depression. It is thought that depression causes the body to produce more cortisol, which can damage areas of the brain, such as the hippocampus, and reduce memory function.
Tension & Anxiety
Smoking increases anxiety levels in people who already suffer from mental health issues like schizophrenia. It is also known to increase the risk of dementia because it affects subcortical regions of the brain responsible for memory, learning, and behavior. Anxiety serves a purpose by warning the body to stay on high alert for danger, but it can be over-triggered and cause you to overdose on stress hormones. This can cause your amygdala to grow larger and become more sensitive, resulting in false alarms and causing the anxiety level to keep rising. Chronic anxiety can also shrink the hippocampus, which processes long-term memories. This makes it harder to remember things and can cause you to focus on negative memories at the expense of positive ones.
Age-Related Brain Damage
Research has revealed that age can have a significant impact on brain injury and recovery. For example, people over the age of 80 who suffer a TBI tend to experience worse cognitive and behavioral outcomes than those who sustain the same injury at an earlier age. In addition, a recent study found that those who smoke have higher levels of nicotine byproducts in their blood than non-smokers. These chemicals are associated with lower scores on a test for various brain functions. Even when controlling for health conditions known to affect cognition, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, smoking still shaved off points on the test. Studies have also shown that regular exercise and a healthy diet can improve cognitive function. This is because staying active helps maintain proper blood pressure and glucose levels associated with better brain health.
Stroke
Stroke is a serious medical emergency that occurs when one or more blood vessels in the brain are blocked, leading to the death of brain cells. There are two types of stroke: one caused by a blood clot that breaks loose and moves to the brain, and the other caused by bleeding inside the brain (hemorrhagic). Smoking increases the risk of stroke as it negatively impacts heart health, including the arteries that supply oxygen to the brain. It also raises the likelihood of high blood pressure, which contributes to the formation of clots that cause strokes. Additionally, smokers are more susceptible to moyamoya disease, a condition that weakens blood vessels in the brain and raises the risk of stroke.
Heart Disease
Smoking is well known to affect the lungs and heart, but it can also negatively impact the brain. Many people may notice that they become more forgetful or unable to think as quickly as they start smoking, which can be an early sign of deteriorating mental health. In a recent study, researchers found that middle-aged men and women with higher levels of cotinine – a nicotine byproduct – in their blood scored worse on various cognitive function tests. This was true regardless of whether the person had other health conditions that impact cognition, such as high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes. This is because smoking increases the risk of dementia, which can cause deterioration in thinking skills and behavior as you age. It can lead to a loss of memory, judgment and reasoning abilities and cause personality changes. Quitting smoking reduces your risk of dementia to that of a non-smoker.
