http://www.psychologytoday.com/artic...12-000001.html
Hey all, this is my first post here but Ive been lurking(and snusing
) for a while and have been a big fan of all the information here. I thought this article might be of some interest, I know for sure that snusing is up there with coffee for helping me with studying. Of course noone mentions that a cotinine drug would probably not have all the effects of ingestion of the various compounds found in organic tobacco as well as being costly, and no where near as fun as just snusing
.
Nicotine-Like Drug Benefits Brain
Cotinine may aid memory, protect against dementia.
By: Erik Strand
Scientists have discovered that a metabolite of nicotine may help improve memory and protect brain cells against dementia. Known as cotinine, the drug has neither the addictive properties nor the harmful side effects of nicotine, yet may still be potent enough for therapeutic use, say researchers at the Medical College of Georgia.
Pharmacologist Jerry Buccafusco and his team noticed that while nicotine is known to enhance memory and cognition, the effects last long after nicotine has disappeared from the body. They began to suspect a longer acting substance. "Cotinine lasts 10 times longer in the blood [than nicotine]. We decided to study cotinine as a pharmacological drug in its own right," says Buccafusco.
In the first of three experiments, researchers found that rhesus monkeys that had received cotinine performed better on tests of memory than did those who did not receive the drug.
Separately, the scientists studied brain cells similar to those affected by Alzheimer's disease in culture. Normally, when growth factors are taken away from such cells, they start to die. The presence of cotinine totally prevented this cell death, having the same effectiveness as nicotine itself. A third study hinted that cotinine may have promise in treating the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Because cotinine is known to have few side effects in humans, it's a strong candidate for a safe drug with nicotinic-type benefits.
Buccafusco presented his findings this week at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans.
Hey all, this is my first post here but Ive been lurking(and snusing


Nicotine-Like Drug Benefits Brain
Cotinine may aid memory, protect against dementia.
By: Erik Strand
Scientists have discovered that a metabolite of nicotine may help improve memory and protect brain cells against dementia. Known as cotinine, the drug has neither the addictive properties nor the harmful side effects of nicotine, yet may still be potent enough for therapeutic use, say researchers at the Medical College of Georgia.
Pharmacologist Jerry Buccafusco and his team noticed that while nicotine is known to enhance memory and cognition, the effects last long after nicotine has disappeared from the body. They began to suspect a longer acting substance. "Cotinine lasts 10 times longer in the blood [than nicotine]. We decided to study cotinine as a pharmacological drug in its own right," says Buccafusco.
In the first of three experiments, researchers found that rhesus monkeys that had received cotinine performed better on tests of memory than did those who did not receive the drug.
Separately, the scientists studied brain cells similar to those affected by Alzheimer's disease in culture. Normally, when growth factors are taken away from such cells, they start to die. The presence of cotinine totally prevented this cell death, having the same effectiveness as nicotine itself. A third study hinted that cotinine may have promise in treating the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Because cotinine is known to have few side effects in humans, it's a strong candidate for a safe drug with nicotinic-type benefits.
Buccafusco presented his findings this week at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans.
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