A University of Cambridge team have released results from new research done on the brains of 120 people. Brain scans were done on 60 people who were addicted to cocaine, and 60 people who had no history of drug-taking whatsoever. The result was that significant abnormalities in the brains of the cocaine users were discovered.
This new research result may explain some of the behavioral attitudes associated with users of the drug. It could also explain why some people are more prone to use the drug than others.
The scans revealed that the drug users underwent a dramatic decrease in brain cells, particularly in the frontal lobes. This is the area that affects functions like memory, attention and decision making. It was also found that the longer a person had been using the drug, the more reduced their attention span was. They also tended to use the drug more compulsively.
Other regions of the brain that were affected include an area that is involved in learning, feedback processing, emotional processing and cravings. In contrast to these reductions in brain cells, cells linked to reward processing and motor movement, were in fact enlarged. This may well explain why the users were more prone to addiction; however, it was not possible for the researchers to determine if the enlargement was indeed due to abuse of cocaine.
The chief researcher states that although links have been found between cocaine use and brain structure, the research results were not conclusive as to what occurred first. The question thus remains – has the change in the brain occurred due to cocaine use, or are those individuals who have the abnormal structure more vulnerable to cocaine use?
Whatever the cause, this research will aid in diagnosing and treating the addiction. The basic result has proven that cocaine addiction is in fact a brain disorder.
A separate study undertaken by scientists in Italy has shown that heavy cocaine users place themselves at risk of causing severe damage to their hearts. Symptoms may not be obvious in the early stages of usage. Scans that have been done on 25 males with a history of long-term cocaine use have indicated structural damage to the heart in 83% of the participants. In 47% of participants, swelling of the lower left ventricle was found, and in 73% of the participants, tissue scarring, possibly due to undetected heart attacks was found.
