History of cigarette smoking in cognitively-normal elders is associated with elevated cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of oxidative stress

This is the first study to demonstrate that a history of cigarette smoking in cognitively-normal elders was associated with significantly elevated CSF F2-isoprostane levels and greater age-related increases in F2-isoprostanes, and that higher F2-isoprostane levels in smokers were related to smaller hippocampal volume. These findings provide additional novel evidence that a history of chronic smoking during adulthood is associated with adverse effects on the human brain that are potentially enduring even with extended smoking cessation.