Scientists from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that smoking leads to a decrease in brain volume.
Quitting smoking can stop the loss of brain tissue, but even that won't restore it to its original size. Because the human brain naturally loses volume as we age, smoking actually speeds up the process, experts say.
These findings explain why smokers are at high risk of age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. This is reported by championat.com with reference to the journal Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science.