Why do smokers have smaller brains?

[Schizophonia]

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-12-15/smoking-can-shrink-your-brain#:~:text=Brain%20scans%20from%20more%20than,their%20brain%20volume%2C%20researchers%20found.

https://www.bpsgos.org/article/S2667-1743(23)00136-2/fulltext

How is this done? Shouldn't nicotine, on the contrary, protect gray matter by increasing acetylcholinergic neurotransmition?
The first idea that comes to mind is the increase in carbon dioxide.

But above all, although the study above tries (painfully) to demonstrate the opposite, I do not see concrete proof that it is not precisely a neurological deficit which causes these addictive tendencies. The strange thing is that smoking cessation is not associated with a significant re-increase in brain volume, which would be expected if the reduction in volume was associated with tobacco-related oxidative damage.

What do you think?

 

[liam183]

My thought is that the vasoconstrictive properties of nicotine decrease cerebral blood flow, so chronic exposure would lead to a smaller brain due to less blood in it

 

[PopSocket]

Those association studies are completely useless imo.

Those who smoke 2+ packs per day - it is safe to assume most of them also drink( thiamine deficiency) and have very bad lifestyle overall leading to degeneration of all tissues, not just the brain. Also, is tobacco the main problem or the poisonous additives ? No wonder the more a person smokes the more brain shinkage they get as the more stressed an individual is - the more they need to smoke. Stress by itself WILL shrink the brain, no need for ciggaretes or alcohol.

Smoking depletes vit E and with a high pufa diet that is already pushing things smoking can make things worse adding to estrogenicity and ROS formation.

 

[Hugh Johnson]

Regulatory breathing highly toxic smoke might have something to do with it.

 

[Layne]

What do you think?

The effects of cigarette smoking go well beyond the effects of nicotine. My understanding is there are many other compounds in tobacco that can affect health, and that the manufacturers add an untold number of chemicals that are for the most part unregulated. It's really a toxic brew (from my understanding)_ I think nicotine alone is another story, has potential benefits, and I anticipate experimenting with it at some point.

 

[EustaceBagge]

My thought is that the vasoconstrictive properties of nicotine decrease cerebral blood flow, so chronic exposure would lead to a smaller brain due to less blood in it

Is the less blood to the brain a side effect or actually one of its beneficial effects? Like, if stress lowers one ruminates less and thus less blood needs to go to the brain. Because despite the less bloodflow smoking does seem to improve cognitive performance. Science is so contradictory...

 

[gaze]

carbon monoxide

 

[Schizophonia]

Regulatory breathing highly toxic smoke might have something to do with it.

carbon monoxide

My thought is that the vasoconstrictive properties of nicotine decrease cerebral blood flow, so chronic exposure would lead to a smaller brain due to less blood in it

This is true, but how can we quantify it?
The quantity of CO inhaled is not that great, probably much lower than the quantity inhaled while walking around town, or the quantity inhaled on a cannabis joint.
I imagine there are also antioxidants in tobacco.

The effects of cigarette smoking go well beyond the effects of nicotine. My understanding is there are many other compounds in tobacco that can affect health, and that the manufacturers add an untold number of chemicals that are for the most part unregulated. It's really a toxic brew (from my understanding)_ I think nicotine alone is another story, has potential benefits, and I anticipate experimenting with it at some point.

Yes, tobacco also acts as an MAOI, it seems to me.

Those association studies are completely useless imo.

Those who smoke 2+ packs per day - it is safe to assume most of them also drink( thiamine deficiency) and have very bad lifestyle overall leading to degeneration of all tissues, not just the brain.

It's true

Also, is tobacco the main problem or the poisonous additives ? No wonder the more a person smokes the more brain shinkage they get as the more stressed an individual is - the more they need to smoke. Stress by itself WILL shrink the brain, no need for ciggaretes or alcohol.

Ditto

Smoking depletes vit E and with a high pufa diet that is already pushing things smoking can make things worse adding to estrogenicity and ROS formation.

Ditto

 

[liam183]

Is the less blood to the brain a side effect or actually one of its beneficial effects? Like, if stress lowers one ruminates less and thus less blood needs to go to the brain. Because despite the less bloodflow smoking does seem to improve cognitive performance. Science is so contradictory...

I never said it was a negative, but less blood flow = less fluid in the brain, thus it will be smaller in size