In all likelihood, it is the combination of the statistical power of the large brain-imaging sample of the LBC1936 and of the use of the cortical thickness metric that made it possible to discover such a widespread negative association between cigarette smoking and cortical tissue
Plus, nearly 40 carcinogens occur naturally in tobacco plants
Pollak KI, Lyna P, Bilheimer A, et al
"Agitation Against the American Tobacco Company in North Carolina, 1890-1911." North Carolina Historical Review 24.2 (1947): 207223
The self-medication hypothesis suggests that schizophrenia patients smoke, in part, to alleviate negative symptoms, dysphoric mood, and neurocognitive impairments by ameliorating a dysfunctional dopamine system.10 The addiction vulnerability hypothesis suggests that genetic and neurobiological factors associated with schizophrenia (ie, alterations in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors [nAChRs] and central dopamine systems) may predispose schizophrenia patients to nicotine addiction.11 Examining the effects of tobacco smoking on neurocognition in schizophrenia is crucial because it may help clarify the rationale for high consumption of tobacco products and inform treatment interventions