evidence: Nicotine stimulates systems in the brain that are important for thinking and memory. The nicotine patch is currently being used as an evidence-based therapy for smoking cessation, but researchers believe it could be used to treat other conditions, like memory loss, mental illness, and Parkinson’s disease. [...] In an earlier study, 74 adults diagnosed with MCI were prescribed nicotine or placebo patches for six months. Those using the nicotine patch had improvement in attention and memory, and there were no serious side effects or signs of withdrawal.