Smoking exhibits an adverse relationship with cognition and gray matter fraction (GMF) among patients
with MS, according to findings published in Multiple Sclerosis Journal. Devon Conway, MD, and
colleagues conducted a retrospective study of patients with MS who completed a processing speed
test (PST) between September 2015 and March 2020. Of 5,536 subjects, 1,314 had quantitative MRI
results available within 90 days of PST. Current smokers exhibited lower PST scores than never
smokers at baseline, a difference that endured over time. Smoking was associated with decreased GMF
but not with whole-brain fraction or thalamic fraction. “Although causality is not demonstrated,
these observations sup- port the importance of smoking cessation counselling in MS management,”
Dr. Conway and colleagues wrote.
