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Are you a smoker? Cigarettes could shrink a vital part of your brain

Giving up could help reverse the problem, researchers have found.

SMOKERS TEND to have a thinner brain cortex, something that could lead to impaired thinking, new research has found.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh examined the MRI scans of of 260 women and 244 men, with an average age of 73.

The 504 participants, both smokers and non-smokers, were part of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 – a group of individuals who were born in 1936 and took part in the Scottish Mental Survey of 1947.

People who had given up smoking for some time had a thicker cortex than those that had recently quit, suggesting “partial recovery” is possible. 

Researchers said they need to examine the issue in more detail before fully understanding how the brain reacts after a person quits smoking. 

Professor Ian Deary, Director of the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology at Edinburgh University, said it’s “important to know what is associated with brain health in older age”.

There are findings in our study that could suggest that stopping smoking might allow the brain’s cortex to recover some of its thickness, though we need further studies conducted with repeat measures to test that idea.

Professor Joanna Wardlaw, Director of the Brain Research Imaging Centre at the university, said the effects of smoking on the heart and lungs are “well known”, but noted that this study highlights how the brain can also be adversely affected.

The things most likely to kill you in one handy infographic

Find it difficult to quit smoking? This might be why

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43 Comments
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    Mute John
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    Aug 28th 2015, 3:56 PM

    I bought a ticket in the last General Election for a Better Ireland, turns out it was a fake too.

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    Mute Garwig
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    Aug 28th 2015, 4:02 PM

    Brilliant , Me too turns out they didn’t even sign the contract either.

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    Mute Mr N
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    Aug 28th 2015, 3:55 PM

    Ticketmaster aren’t exactly innocent in this, with their ticket reselling companies.

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    Mute John S
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    Aug 28th 2015, 6:44 PM

    Well if somebody buys a ticket to Electric Picnic 2014, more the fool he….

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    Mute funkybuscuits
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    Aug 28th 2015, 4:17 PM

    this is just propaganda to make sure you buy tickets from ticketmaster! I have 2 spare ones for electric picnic anyway if anyone’s looking. legit as fcuk

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    Mute Mark Noonan
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    Aug 28th 2015, 4:37 PM

    Are they more legit than your user name?

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    Mute funkybuscuits
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    Aug 28th 2015, 4:59 PM

    slightly funkier

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    Mute RMcG
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    Aug 28th 2015, 4:45 PM

    My rugby world cup tickets were stolen, I moved address & the mail redirect didn’t work, someone signed for them with an illegible squiggle, RWC have cancelled the barcodes on the tickets and the tickets are now void. I just hope some unsuspecting person doesn’t buy them from whoever stole them. Whenever you buy tickets from someone without a licence to sell them you are talking a huge risk.

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    Mute RMcG
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    Aug 28th 2015, 4:46 PM

    *taking not talking obviously :)

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    Mute Fiona K
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    Aug 28th 2015, 6:25 PM

    Ticketmaster used to advise to do your ticket exchange at a Ticketmaster outlet and they would verify the authenticity of the tickets for you. Are they no longer offering that service? Also stop posting pictures of your tickets to social media as the barcodes can then be copied!

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    Mute Michael cunnane
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    Aug 28th 2015, 5:05 PM

    I’m looking forward to this year’s eccentric picnic..uh oh :-o

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    Mute John Joe
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    Aug 28th 2015, 4:03 PM

    I used to buy the tickets and give the touters the money when I got into the event, not much that can go wrong

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    Mute Mr N
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    Aug 28th 2015, 4:31 PM

    From your point of view no, but what if you don’t pay them?

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    Mute Ray Farrelly
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    Aug 28th 2015, 4:58 PM

    Well you won’t be getting a counterfeit beating.

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    Mute Paul Cooper
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    Aug 30th 2015, 4:51 AM

    Beware of fake acts

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    Mute Joe Haverty
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    Aug 29th 2015, 5:46 AM

    Gas, sure they’re in control of security features on their tickets, perhaps improve them!

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