title: Effect of Smoking on Cognitive Functioning in Young Saudi Adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND Smoking is the predominant form of tobacco consumption and is growing worldwide, particularly in the younger generation in the Middle-East. We aimed to determine the effects of tobacco smoking on cognitive functions among young Saudi adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS We recruited a group of cigarette smokers (N=22) and a group of controls (non-smokers) (N=30) from apparently healthy male volunteers aged 18-29 years. Cognitive function was assessed by using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Battery (CANTAB). The cognitive functions outcome variables were the response time (attention-switching task [AST]), and the percentage of correct response (pattern recognition memory [PRM] task). Clinical, demographic, blood markers (brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and apolipoprotein E) were assessed between groups. RESULTS The 2 groups were matched for age and educational status. In comparison to the control group, smokers showed significant cognitive impairments in AST-Latency (p=0.001), AST-Congruent (p=0.001), and AST-Incongruent condition (p=0.001). There was not significant difference in BDNF APOE serum level between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that attention and alertness were significantly impaired in smokers compared to non-smokers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Shahid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bashir
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Faisal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alghamd
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alhussien
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Meshal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alohali
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alatawi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Tariq
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Almusned
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Syed Shahid
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Habib
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000097:blood; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C000612345:ApoE protein, human; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; C579455:BDNF protein, human