An international team of scientists conducted a major study, the results of which showed that smoking over a long period of time can lead to thinning of the cerebral cortex – the outer layer of the brain, which is very important for performing cognitive functions such as memory, speech and perception.
The results of the study also indicate that in the case of complete smoking cessation, at least part of the thickness of the cerebral cortex is restored.
The study was conducted with 244 women and 260 men. The average age of study participants was 73 years. The group of subjects included smokers, ex-smokers and non-smokers. They were all tested as children in the 1947 Scottish Mental Survey.
Scientists used data from recent surveys of participants and analyzed data from MRI scans that revealed the current state of the participants' cerebral cortex.
"We found that current and former smokers at age 73 have thinner cerebral cortex than people who have never smoked. However, those who quit smoking have an increase in the thickness of the cerebral cortex with each year spent without cigarettes" , – says study lead author Dr. Sherif Karama.
However, the apparent recovery process is slow and incomplete. The cerebral cortex of ex-smokers who smoked large amounts of cigarettes was still thinner after 25 years than that of non-smokers.
Although the cerebral cortex itself becomes thinner with aging, research has shown that smoking speeds up this process. Recall that such thinning leads to a decrease in cognitive abilities.
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