Cigarette smoking affects the brain

Cigarette smoking may affect the human brain similar to the effect of drugs used to treat depression. The study was carried out at the University of Mississippi Medical Centre in Jackson, USA. They examined a part of the brain that is associated with depression, known as the locus coeruleus. They compared a portion of this brain tissue taken after death from seven people who had been heavy smokers with the brain tissue from nine non-smokers, all of whom had been mentally healthy. The investigators found that the brains of long-term smokers had neurochemical changes similar to those found in the brains of animals treated with antidepressant drugs. Chronic smoking produces antidepressant-like effects on the human brain. This may contribute to the popularity of smoking and difficulty to quit in those who are depressed. However, it was unclear if nicotine or other chemicals inhaled during smoking directly affected the brains of those who were depressed. It was still not clear whether smoking actually caused this effect, or whether those with this brain chemistry were more susceptible to becoming smokers. More studies are needed to prove the fact that smoking was in fact causing these neurochemical changes in the brain. It is emphasized that though cigarette smoking may have some effects against depression, it has many ill-effects like lung cancer, throat cancer, premature ageing, risk of heart attack and less productivity at work. However this study could aid the researchers in designing better smoking cessation treatments for depressed patients.