FRENCH RESEARCH
May 1st, 2002
BY MARK ROWEFRENCH scientists may have found the first biological evidence that tobacco can make smokers less intelligent and more forgetful. Scientists at the Paris-based National Institute for Health and Medical Research found in tests on rats that the harmful nicotine in cigarettes destroys brain cells and impedes production of new ones. Rats given nicotine intravenously suffered significant drops in production of PSA-NCAM, a protein with a vital role in the 'plasticity' of the brain, which is related to the ability to learn and memorise. Those rats given high ...
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