Neuropathology of cigarette smoking.
It is well established that cigarette smoking is hazardous to health and is a risk factor for many chronic diseases. However, its impact on the brain, whether it be from prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking, cerebrovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Parkinson's disease, is still not very clear. Neuroimaging and neuropathological investigations suggest that there are heterogeneous effects of cigarette smoking on the brain. On the one hand, it is quite clear that cigarette smoking causes damage to endothelial cells, resulting in increased risk of cerebrovascular disease. On the other hand, it seems to be associated with different Alzheimer's pathologies in post-mortem brains and experimental models, despite the fact that epidemiological studies clearly indicate a positive correlation between cigarette smoking and increased risk for AD. Interestingly, cigarette smoking appears to be associated with reduced Parkinson's pathology in post-mortem brains. However, although nicotine in cigarettes may have some neuroprotective actions, the effects of all the other toxic compounds in cigarettes cannot be ignored. It is, therefore, our aim to summarize what is known about the neuropathology of cigarette smoking and, in particular, its implications for neurodegenerative diseases.
Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Anatomy, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Rm. L1-49, Laboratory Block, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, rccchang@hku.hk.
Raymond Chuen-Chung
RC
Chang
Yuen-Shan
YS
Ho
Shun
S
Wong
Stephen M
SM
Gentleman
Ho-Keung
HK
Ng
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*