Short and Long-Term Effect on the Brain

Buried deep within the recesses of the human brain are pleasure centers known as reward centers. When certain events occur the reward center is stimulated and a chemical called dopamine is released. The dopamine travels to miniscule gaps which exist between neurons in the brain. Intense sensations of pleasure are felt when dopamine is released. When the brain is functioning normally, the dopamine next leaves these gaps in a process called reuptake.

When a person uses cocaine, the reward center in the brain is stimulated and dopamine is released. However, rather than experiencing reuptake, the chemical remains in the gaps and actually builds up, keeping the brain in a state of pleasured stimulation. This intense and extended sense of euphoria is one reason why cocaine is so highly addictive.

The pleasure comes at tremendous cost however. More and more cocaine will be needed over time in order to achieve the desired effect and the brain has a great capacity for remembering pleasure which triggers intense cravings and makes relapse so common when a person is trying to quit.

Short-term Effects on Body

Using cocaine will create immediate but short-lived harmful effects upon the person’s body.

• Increase in energy and mental alertness
• Decrease in appetite – dramatic weight loss is a tell-tale sign of cocaine abuse
• Increase in heart rate and blood pressure – the entire body is stimulated by its use
• Constriction of blood vessels – this explains the rise in blood pressure
• Increase in body temperature – use of cocaine can lead to fever
• Pupils dilate – person becomes highly sensitive to light
• Digestive problems – nausea and stomach pain are not uncommon

Long-term Effects on Body

Using cocaine will also produce long-term damage to the body.

• Addiction is one obvious long-term effect of using the drug
• Long-lasting mood disorders such as depression or intense mood swings, irritability is common
• Paranoia
• Anxiety and general restlessness
• Auditory hallucinations – long after use has ceased, a person may continue to "hear things"
• Gangrene in the bowels as a result of poor circulation
• Continuing health problems related to damage done to the heart and/or respiratory system: stroke, heart attack, lung failure

A person may snort or inject cocaine or super-heat the drug and inhale the vapors, but however it is consumed, cocaine is a powerful and dangerous substance. People have died the very first time they took the drug while others have been left to manage lifelong debilitating conditions as a result of their previous cocaine habit.

Health Effects of Cocaine On the Body is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

What would rehab be like for those with an addiction to cocaine if once the program is complete, they never remembered having taken the drug? This World Crunch report takes a look at a recent study that identified the potential for erasing a memory with the use of a new laser technique.

The idea of erasing the memory of taking the drug is important where cocaine addiction is concerned, simply because this particular drug does not trigger an addiction of the physical nature. In some 20 percent of its users, however, it does cause a psychological addiction, which can quickly lead to a loss of control in cocaine use.

The psychological cocaine addiction can last after the completion of even the most successful rehab program as the brain always remembers having taken the drug. A laser technique identified by Geneva University suggests targeting the reward circuit of the brain could help erase the memories associated with cocaine use.

Dopamine in the brain is raised to an unnatural level by cocaine use. Dopamine is the substance used to transmit information between both parts of the brain. This transmission process leaves permanent marks in the brain, ensuring the cocaine addict never forgets the sensation and explains why a recovering addict can fall back into use even years after rehab was completed.

If this hidden memory, where context and the desire to use are mixed, can be erased, the recovering cocaine addict may have a much better chance of staying clean. To date, only the short-term effects of the laser use have proven successful on mice, yet this success does offer potential promise.

Laser Technique Could Offer Rehab Success for Cocaine Addicts is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

As a result, it’s not uncommon for cocaine addicts to relapse within six months of treatment. Hope may be found in the form of a drug called Propranolol, currently prescribed for treatment of hypertension and anxiety but with promising results in animal-addiction models.

Researchers Devin Meuller and James Otis, of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee followed the behavior of addicted rats given the drug propranolol in order to see if it could diminish the memory associations between cocaine and environment. Propranolol has been experimented with in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for this same effect. In both cases the patient is influenced by powerful memories triggered by environmental stimuli.

In this study, rats were injected with cocaine in a particular cage & location until they learned to associate the environment with the drug high. At this point some of the rats were given propranolol and others given saline and then observed to determine if there existed a continued preference for cages with drug associations over cages without previous drug experiences. Results recorded that rats injected with propranolol failed to exhibit a preference for the cage with drug associations while the rats receiving saline continued to prefer the cage where cocaine had been administered. Furthermore, the drug’s effect appeared to last over a two week period indicating to researchers that the medication had affected memory.

Apart from the drugs currently used to treat symptoms of cocaine withdrawal the most common treatment for cocaine abuse recovery is ‘exposure therapy’ in which the patient is repeatedly exposed to the environmental stimuli which trigger drug cravings. Over time, as the patient is exposed to the stimuli without satisfaction of the drug hunger, the association weakens and the inducements to relapse diminish. The treatment has shown a limited amount of success to date. However, Dr Meuller postulates that the combination of exposure therapy with administering of propranolol could prove to be a highly effective treatment. Memories associated with a patient’s prior cocaine habit are considered to be the major cause of relapse. A treatment which addresses those memories behaviorally and pharmacologically could enhance the success rate.

Just how propranolol actually works in the brain remains uncertain. It does seem that the drug, while not completely erasing memories, somehow lessens the pleasurable associations the memory invokes. Dr Meuller believes that propranolol’s effects could prove to be permanent without requiring repeated dosages. There is much that bears further study, but the high blood pressure drug propranolol is giving hope to those seeking more effective treatment for cocaine addicts.

Blood Pressure Drug to Fight Cocaine Addiction is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The de-worming drug, called levamisole, was found in 30 percent of confiscated cocaine in 2008 and in 70 percent of cocaine in 2009, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Purpura can also be caused by a range of rare diseases, but physicians have linked it to levamisole-contaminated cocaine in eight cases.

In the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, physicians highlight six new cases of purpura, mostly on and around the ears, that are associated with cocaine use. The cases (four in Rochester, New York, and two in Los Angeles, California) are similar to two additional cases in San Francisco that were previously reported in the journal. In all cases, blood tests ruled out the typical causes of purpura.

Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center and the University of California, Los Angeles, note that although they cannot say for sure that cocaine use is the direct cause of purpura in these cases, the striking similarity of these cases and the presence of another condition caused by levamisole strongly point to contaminated cocaine as the culprit.

The authors said that the cases of skin reactions and illnesses linked to contaminated cocaine are just the beginning of a public health problem caused by levamisole.

Mary Gail Mercurio, M.D., study author and associate professor in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said that the patients had a similar clinical picture, but weren’t falling into any pattern they had seen before, and that when a colleague from the National Institutes of Health mentioned levamisole, the researchers performed toxicity screens and all the patients were positive for cocaine.

Levamisole has been detected in cocaine since 2003, but the amounts have increased dramatically in recent years, according to the DEA. The inexpensive drug is being used as a diluting agent to stretch supplies. Levamisole is also known to increase amounts of dopamine, neurotransmitters that are involved in feelings of pleasure and euphoria, which leads experts to believe that it is also added to cocaine to enhance the user’s high.

Purpura occurs when vessels become plugged, blocking blood from flowing to the skin and leading to skin death and a purplish, crusty appearance. Cocaine itself also constricts blood vessels. It is not yet known how levamisole causes purpura, but the study authors said that both smoking and snorting contaminated cocaine can lead to purpura, and both men and women can be affected.

Steriods to prevent inflammation can be used to treat purpura, but the best treatment is to stop using cocaine. Mercurio said that once the patients stopped using cocaine, purpura improved.

Mercurio said that it is important to raise awareness of this condition among primary care physicians, adding that familiarity and recognition can help physicians quickly make a diagnosis and intervene.

Source: Science Daily, Contaminated Cocaine Triggers Decaying, Dying Skin, June 23, 2011

Contaminated Cocaine Triggering Skin Death, Infection is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Dr. Ronald G. Crystal, lead investigator of the study and chairman and professor of genetic medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, said that the study shows that the vaccine can protect mice against the effects of cocaine, and could be promising in treating addiction in humans.

He added that the vaccine binds to cocaine molecule before the drug reaches the brain, preventing the effects of cocaine. This effect lasted for at least 13 weeks. Dr. Crystal said that while there have been other attempts to develop vaccine against cocaine, this is the first that likely won’t require multiple infusions that can be costly, and that will move quickly to human trials. He added that there is currently no FDA-approved vaccine for addiction treatment.

The vaccine is made up of a chemical that is very structurally similar to cocaine and components of the adenovirus, which is a common cold virus. The immune system is alerted to the virus and learns to view cocaine as an “intruder.” Once the cocaine is recognized, antibodies to the drug are produced and cocaine is prevented from reaching the brain.

Dr. Crystal said that the immune system doesn’t usually identify cocaine as an intruder, so the researchers engineered the response so that it does. For the study, a team of scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University in Ithaca, and the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, found that a strong immune response was generated against the vaccine.

Mice that received the vaccine were much less hyperactive after being given cocaine than those that did not receive the vaccine. This effect was even seen in mice that were given large, repetitive doses of cocaine.

Dr. Crystal said the vaccine needs to be tested in humans, but thinks that it will work best in people who are already addicted to cocaine and are trying to quit. He added that the vaccine may help people quit because if they use the drug, the immune system will destroy it before it reaches the brain.

Source: Science Daily, Vaccine Blocks Cocaine High in Mice: Approach Could Also Stop Addiction to Other Drugs, Including Heroin and Nicotine, January 5, 2011

New Vaccine Could Help People Addicted to Cocaine is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The researchers found the mutations in more than 40 percent of autopsy brain samples taken from white people who had died of a cocaine overdose. Of white people who didn’t use drugs, only 19 percent had the mutation. One in five samples from the drug-free group had the variant, compared with one in two to three samples from the cocaine-using white individuals and one in eight African Americans. (The gene variant is less prevalent in African Americans.)

The study found that the mutations affect the way in which the brain reacts to the neurotransmitter dopamine (which is released in the brain after certain activities, including using cocaine). Previous studies have shown that cocaine blocks dopamine transmitters from absorbing dopamine after it is released in the brain, which leads to a feeling of euphoria that the brain eventually associates with cocaine and causes drug cravings.

This is the first study to find a strong connection in brain tissue between the mutations and severe cocaine abuse. However, many questions remain, such as whether the mutations increase the risk of someone trying cocaine in the first place, or whether they strengthen the brain’s drug craving, which leads to severe abuse.

Wolfgang Sadee, senior author of the study and a professor of pharmacology and director of the Program in Pharmacogenomics at Ohio State University, said that their study shows that the gene mutations may impact cocaine abuse, and could help researchers discover new therapies for a range of psychiatric disorders that involve dopamine.

No test currently exists to see whether people are carrying the mutations. Sadee and colleagues are currently examining how these mutations could affect the response of carriers to drugs that act on the gene.

Source: Science Daily, Genetic Trait Could Triple Odds of Whites’ Susceptibility to Heavy Cocaine Abuse, September 22, 2010

Genetic Variant Increases Risk of Severe Cocaine Abuse in Whites is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The study found that chronic exposure to cocaine results in increased activity in D1 neurons and decreased activity in D2 neurons. Activation of D1 neurons increases cocaine reward, and activation of D2 neurons decreases cocaine reward.

The researchers used optogenetics, which is a technology that optically controls neuron activity in rodents. They activated neurons by disrupting brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is a protein in the brain that is associated with learning, memory, neuronal survival, and drug abuse signaling through the receptor TrkB, found in D1 or D2 neurons.

Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, Chair of Neuroscience, Nash Family Professor, and Director of The Friedman Brain Institute at Mount Sinai and co-author on the study, said that this study provides new information on how cocaine takes over the brain’s reward center, and how it can affect two neuronal subtypes in the nucleus accumbens. This information could help develop new methods for cocaine addiction treatment.

Source: Science Daily, Why Cocaine Is So Addictive: Activation of Specific Neurons Linked to Alterations in Cocaine Reward, October 18, 2010

New Study Helps Explain Why Cocaine Is So Addictive is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

A new study published by the Institut de physiologie et biologie cellulaire (CNRS/Universte de Poitiers) shows that it may be possible to alter environmental conditions to make the treatment of cocaine addiction more successful. Positive and stimulating surroundings, say the researchers, may play a major role in treating cocaine addition.

The study was led by Marcello Solinas and Mohamed Jaber and exposed mice to an “enriched environment” to aid in removing abnormal behavior related to addiction. The environment provided to the mice stimulated their curiosity by providing social and physical activity along with elements of exploration.

The researchers first worked to establish a cocaine addiction in the mice, and then exposed the animals to an enriched environment. The large cages had a small house, a running wheel, tunnels and other toys. The toys were changed each week.

The study used three models of animal addiction. The first was behavioral sensitization, in which the researchers measured the progressive increase in the stimulating effects of cocaine after administration. The second was the location preference, in which the ability of a context was measured to lead to drug-seeking behavior. Third, the researchers measured relapses in cocaine use after a period of withdrawal.

After 30 days of exposure to the enriched environment, the researchers found that the mice exhibited no addiction behavior typical of the three models. The researchers attribute this response to a decrease in the cocaine-induced activation of a set of brain structures involved in dopaminergic transmission and associated with relapse.

The results of the study indicate the importance of evaluating the living conditions of cocaine addicts when they are admitted into therapy. The treatment centers that offer assistance with overcoming cocaine addiction should be evaluated for their environmental conditions.

In addition, when an individual has completed treatment, they can be educated on how to replicate the stimulating effects of an enriched environment in their own living spaces. A home that provides physical and intellectual stimulation may help prevent relapse. Treatment centers may also find effective ways to create take-home versions of stimulation therapy done in an inpatient program.
 

Treating Cocaine Addiction is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

With his colleague W. James Ball, PhD, of the pharmacology and cell biophysics department at the University of Cincinnati, Norman is studying the development of a monoclonal antibody, or an antibody derived from a single cell to be used against a specific target) that could work against cocaine. When injected into the bloodstream, the antibody would attach to cocaine and prevent it from entering the brain, which would limit its pleasurable effects. Norman and Bell have previously shown that this antibody reduces the effects of cocaine in animals.

Norman said this grant is vital to their research, and that it will greatly enhance their development of this potential new form of addiction treatment.

NIDA also awarded William Brimijoin, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic, Jia Bei Wang, PhD, of the University of Maryland at Baltimore, and Daniele Piomelli, PhD, of the University of California, Irvine. Brimijoin and Wang are also researching cocaine addiction treatments, and Piomelli is researching a new treatment for smoking cessation.

NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow said that research has clearly shown that drug addiction is linked to disruptions of brain structure and function, which presents several potential targets for the development of new medications. Presenting the awardees with grants could help quicken the process of finding these much-needed medications for addiction.

Source: PsyOrg.com, Researcher wins $2.5 million award from National Institute on Drug Abuse, September 21, 2010

Researcher Given Grant to Explore Antibody Treatment for Cocaine Addiction is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

“It’s not something I ever want to do again,” she says of the drug. “It made me feel like s***. It became uninteresting to me. I’m hyper anyway and I have that kind of personality so I don’t need something like that,” Lohan told Britain’s The Sun in a new interview.

“I was only aware of cocaine because of my dad. I was terrified of it. But I tried it because I was stubborn, stupid, and wanted to see what it was like.”

Today Lindsay says she is in a much happier place than she has been in for a long time.

She says that when it comes to booze, she “knows her limits” and adds that waking up in the morning after a night of drinking isn’t fun anymore.

She adds: “I’ve made some dreadful mistakes but learned from them—that has probably saved my life.”

Lindsay Lohan Blames Father for Cocaine Addiction is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment