Reduced Attention in Former Smokers with and without COPD

Smoking related attention alteration in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-smoking comorbidity

Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory disease that causes a wide range of cognitive impairments. Although COPD-Smoking comorbidity is common, the relationship between smoking and cognitive function in COPD-Smoking comorbidity remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of smoking on cognitive function like attention in COPD-Smoking patients.

Methods

In this study, we used the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore the effect of smoking on attention in patients with COPD.

Results

Behavioral analysis revealed that among patients with COPD the smokers had a shorter course of COPD and showed a worse attention performance than the non-smokers. Resting-state fMRI analysis revealed that among patients with COPD smokers showed lower regional homogeneity (ReHo) value of the fusiform gyrus than non-smokers. Importantly, the ReHo of the fusiform gyrus is positively associated with attention and mediates the effect of smoking on attention in COPD.

Conclusions

In summary, our study provides behavioral and neurobiological evidence supporting the positive effect of smoking on attention in COPD. This may be helpful for understanding and treating COPD and even other diseases comorbid with smoking.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12890-022-01964-6.

Large-scale genetic investigation reveals genetic liability to multiple complex traits influencing a higher risk of ADHD

Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a complex psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorder that develops during childhood and spans into adulthood. ADHD’s aetiology is complex, and evidence about its cause and risk factors is limited. We leveraged genetic data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and performed latent causal variable analyses using a hypothesis-free approach to infer causal associations between 1387 complex traits and ADHD. We identified 37 inferred potential causal associations with ADHD risk. Our results reveal that genetic variants associated with iron deficiency anemia (ICD10), obesity, type 2 diabetes, synovitis and tenosynovitis (ICD10), polyarthritis (ICD10), neck or shoulder pain, and substance use in adults display partial genetic causality on ADHD risk in children. Genetic variants associated with ADHD have a partial genetic causality increasing the risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and carpal tunnel syndrome. Protective factors for ADHD risk included genetic variants associated with the likelihood of participating in socially supportive and interactive activities. Our results show that genetic liability to multiple complex traits influences a higher risk for ADHD, highlighting the potential role of cardiometabolic phenotypes and physical pain in ADHD’s aetiology. These findings have the potential to inform future clinical studies and development of interventions.