Do pulmonary function and smoking behavior predict cognitive function? Findings from a British sample

The relationship of smoking behavior, pulmonary function, and four measures of cognitive function was studied in a sample of 4,399 men and women (mean age = 44.7 +/- 17.1 years; age range: 18 to 94 years) randomly selected from British electoral registers. Each subject was assessed with a face-to-face structured interview (including demographic data, smoking history, and health-related questions) as well as cognitive testing [simple reaction time (SRT), choice reaction time (CRT), incidental memory, and spatial reasoning] and pulmonary function testing. Results indicated that smoking was associated with somewhat better performance on the CRT and memory tasks, and that smoking behavior was not associated with decrements in cognitive performance. Impaired pulmonary function was generally associated with poorer cognitive performance on all of the cognitive measures, suggesting that pulmonary function may be a relevant factor to consider in experimental studies of smoking and cognitive function among healthy adults.