Question: Is there a difference between a smokers brains and normal brain

Lorna Houlihan answered on 15 Mar 2010:

Great question! It’s a hard one to answer though. There has been lots of studies which apparently show differences in people who smoke, cannabis for example, and how their brains are compared to people who have never smoked. However, these studies did not measure the brain before the people started smoking so they can’t tell for definite that the smoking itself caused these differences in the brains. BUT they do know that when you inhale, it takes 10 seconds for the nicotine to reach your brain. This is really quick! and then that’s the problem why it’s so difficult to quit. When you try to quit, there are definitely changes in the brain as you are more irritable, depressed and anxious. There are also studies that show you may not do as well on cognitive ability tests as those who don’t smoke and that you may have a slightly greater chance of getting dementia.