Health

Report on studies of nicotine and other nicotinic agonists on improving performance on attention and memory tasks, as well as on treating Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Report that a nicotine metabolite may improve memory and protect brain cells from diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The researcher is Dr. Jerry J. Buccafusco, director of the Alzheimer's Research Center at the Medical College of Georgia.

Report by Duke University behavioral pharmacologist Edward Levin that nicotine-like compounds help restore the ability to learn and remember in rats that have brain lesions similar to those found in Alzheimer's disease patients. Reported in Science Daily News.

Nicotine patches may help patients with Tourette's syndrome control involuntary movements.

Recent research finds cigarettes cause faster mental decline as smokers get older.