Abstract
Previously we reported that smoking is associated with a small relative decline in cognition from childhood to old age. In this study we perform confirmatory analyses on a further wave of data collected from 298 of the participants, all with age 11 IQ scores, at age 66 years, 2 years after the original observations. Non-smokers scored a mean 4.9 memory test and 2.6 information processing speed test points and ex-smokers 3.5 memory test and 1.9 information processing speed test points higher than current smokers respectively over the two waves of testing, equivalent to 4-8% of mean test scores, adjusted for the effects of childhood IQ. Across tests a 1001/min higher Peak Expiratory Flow Rate was associated with a 3-4% higher test score at ages 64 and 66 years. These data confirm the adverse effect of smoking on information processing speed, and provide new evidence for a similar adverse effect on memory for people in their mid-sixties.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 63-68 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Addictive Behaviors |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 2 May 2006 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2007 |
Keywords
- smoking
- cognition
- memory
- respiratory function
- cigarette-smoking
- performance
- intelligence
- cohort
- life