Methamphetamine influences on brain and behavior: unsafe at any speed?
Methamphetamine damages monoamine-containing nerve terminals in the brains of both animals and human drug abusers, and the cellular mechanisms underlying this injury have been extensively studied. More recently, the growing evidence for methamphetamine influences on memory and executive function of human users has prompted studies of cognitive impairments in methamphetamine-exposed animals. After summarizing current knowledge about the cellular mechanisms of methamphetamine-induced brain injury, this review emphasizes research into the brain changes that underlie the cognitive deficits that accompany repeated methamphetamine exposure. Novel approaches to mitigating or reversing methamphetamine-induced brain and behavioral changes are described, and it is argued that the slow spontaneous reversibility of the injury produced by this drug may offer opportunities for novel treatment development.
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. jfmarsha@uci.edu
John F
JF
Marshall
Steven J
SJ
O'Dell
D000818:Animals; D001519:Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000506:poisoning; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000506:poisoning*
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008694:Methamphetamine