amphetamines and premature aging..

[SonOfPluto]

Out of all the drugs of abuse out there, it seems that amphetamines cause the most damage in the least amount of time. Does anyone know if this is caused by increased free radical damage due to the drug? Or does it have more to do with the damage it causes to dopamine pathways in the brain. I've seen people lose their teeth after just 3 months of using 'crank'. Are recovering addicts left with damaged brains for the rest of their lives, or do the brains adapt and form different neural connections in order to compensate from the damage. If they are left with damaged brain cells, it would interesting to see if injection of stem cells could help their brains recover back to normal.

[Sistersteel]

Out of all the drugs of abuse out there, it seems that amphetamines cause the most damage in the least amount of time. Does anyone know if this is caused by increased free radical damage due to the drug? Or does it have more to do with the damage it causes to dopamine pathways in the brain. I've seen people lose their teeth after just 3 months of using 'crank'. Are recovering addicts left with damaged brains for the rest of their lives, or do the brains adapt and form different neural connections in order to compensate from the damage. If they are left with damaged brain cells, it would interesting to see if injection of stem cells could help their brains recover back to normal.


I found this study:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2554183

Adaptive changes in chemical activity in certain regions of the brain of former methamphetamine users who have not used the drug for a year or more suggest some recovery of neuronal structure and function.

Methamphetamine use has been shown to cause abnormalities in brain regions associated with selective attention and regions associated with memory, according to background information in the article. Recent animal and human studies suggest that neuronal changes associated with long-term methamphetamine use may not be permanent but may partially recover with prolonged abstinence.


I have not heard of stem cell injects used in treatment to help reverse brain damage though. I am going ot research that.