title: Drug-induced neurotoxicity in addiction medicine: From prevention to harm reduction.
abstract: Neurotoxicity is considered as a major cause of neurodegenerative disorders. Most drugs of abuse have nonnegligible neurotoxic effects many of which are primarily mediated by several dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmitter systems. Although many researchers have investigated the medical and cognitive consequences of drug abuse, the neurotoxicity induced by these drugs still requires comprehensive attention. The science of neurotoxicity promises to improve preventive and therapeutic strategies for brain disorders such as Alzheimer disease and Parkinson's disease. However, its clinical applications for addiction medicine remain to be defined adequately. This chapter reviews the most commonly discussed mechanisms underlying neurotoxicity induced by common drugs of abuse including amphetamines, cocaine, opiates, and alcohol. In addition, the known factors that trigger and/or predispose to drug-induced neurotoxicity are discussed. These factors include drug-related, individual-related, and environmental insults. Moreover, we introduce some of the potential pharmacological antineurotoxic interventions deduced from experimental animal studies. These interventions involve various targets such as dopaminergic system, mitochondria, cell death signaling, and NMDA receptors, among others. We conclude the chapter with a discussion of addicted patients who might benefit from such interventions.
authors.affiliation: Neurocognitive Laboratory, Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohammad Ahmadi Soleimani
authors.affiliation: Neurocognitive Laboratory, Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Translational Neuroscience Program, Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran; Research Center for Molecular and Cellular Imaging (RCMCI), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ekhtiari
authors.affiliation: Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, DHHS/NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: jcadet@intra.nida.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Jean Lud
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cadet
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000818:Animals; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D040261:Harm Reduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D004298:Dopamine
keywords: Addiction medicine; Drugs of abuse; Neuroprotection; Neurotoxicity