Drug’s Effect on Brain Is Extensive, Study Finds

Heavy users of
methamphetamine …
are doing more damage to their
brains than scientists had thought, according to the first study that
looked inside addicts’ brains nearly a year after they stopped using
the drug.

At least a quarter of a class of molecules that help people feel
pleasure and reward were knocked out by methamphetamine, the
study found. Some of the addicts’ brains resembled those of people
with early and mild Parkinson’s disease. But the biggest surprise is
that another brain region responsible for spatial perception and
sensation, which has never before been linked to methamphetamine
abuse, was hyperactive and showed signs of scarring. New York Times