Effects of cigarette smoking on motor functions in patients with multiple sclerosis
M. Emre and C. de Decker
CNS Department, Sandoz Pharma Ltd, Basel, Switzerland.
The acute effects of cigarette smoking on motor functions were examined in
21 patients with multiple sclerosis and 11 healthy control subjects. The
motor function in the upper extremities was assessed by a simple test
battery. Sixteen of 21 patients had a transient deterioration of their
motor function immediately after smoking, lasting for 10 minutes. The mean
decrease in motor performance score for all 21 patients was 14%. With the
same tests performed without smoking only three of 14 patients had a
deterioration and the group had a mean 8% improvement. The control group
showed a steady improvement over time, both in smoking and in simulation
experiments. We conclude that nicotine causes a transient worsening of
motor functions in patients with multiple sclerosis, which can be due to
its effects on the central nervous system or vegetative-vascular functions.
