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7/22/2004
The first high-resolution MRI study of
individuals addicted to methamphetamine (meth) finds that the
drug causes extensive brain damage among long-term users, the
New York Times reported July 20.
Dr.
Paul Thompson, an expert on brain mapping at the University of
California, Los Angeles, said the MRI study showed "a forest
fire of brain damage." He added, "We expected some brain
changes, but didn't expect so much tissue to be
destroyed."
The study involved 22 individuals in their
30s who used methamphetamine for 10 years. The MRI showed an
11-percent loss of tissue in the brain's limbic region, which
is involved in drug craving, reward, mood, and emotion. "The
cells are dead and gone," Dr. Thompson
said.
Furthermore, the study found an 8-percent loss in
the hippocampus region, which is involved in making new
memories.
The study is published in the June 30 issue
of The Journal of Neuroscience.
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