Photo courtesy of NIDA from research conducted by Melega WP, Raleigh MJ, Stout DB, Lacan C, Huang SC, Phelps ME. Recovery of striatal dopamine function after acute amphetamine- and methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity in the vervet monkey. Brain Res 1997 Aug 22;766(1-2);113-120.

Here is another example of what science has shown us about the long-term effects of drugs. What this PET scan shows us is how just 10 days of drug use can produce very dramatic and long-term changes in the brain of a monkey. The drug in these images is amphetamine, or what some people call “speed.” Remember the previous image showed us what the brain of a chronic cocaine abuser looks like. This image shows us what using a drug like amphetamine can do in only 10 days to the brain of a monkey.
 
This image also gives us a better idea of what methamphetamine, a drug similar in structure, can do to the brain. Methamphetamine use is becoming increasingly popular in certain areas of the country.
 
The top row shows us, in white and red, normal brain activity. The second row shows us that same brain 4 weeks after being given amphetamine for 10 days. There is a dramatic decrease in brain activity. This decreased brain activity continues for up to 1 year after amphetamine use. These continuous brain changes often trigger other changes in social and emotional behavior, too, including a possible increase in aggressiveness, feelings of isolation, and depression.
 

Photo courtesy of Anna Rose Childress, Ph.D.

This image demonstrates something really amazing - how just the mention of items associated with drug use may cause an addict to “crave” or desire drugs. This PET scan is part of a scientific study that compared recovering addicts, who had stopped using cocaine, with people who had no history of cocaine use. The study hoped to determine what parts of the brain are activated when drugs are craved.
 
For this study, brain scans were performed while subjects watched two videos. The first video, a nondrug presentation, showed nature images - mountains, rivers, animals, flowers, trees. The second video showed cocaine and drug paraphernalia, such as pipes, needles, matches, and other items familiar to addicts.
 
This is how the memory of drugs works: The yellow area on the upper part of the second image is the amygdala (a-mig-duh-luh), a part of the brain’s limbic system, which is critical for memory and responsible for evoking emotions. For an addict, when a drug craving occurs, the amygdala becomes active and a craving for cocaine is triggered.
 
So if it’s the middle of the night, raining, snowing, it doesn’t matter. This craving demands the drug immediately. Rational thoughts are dismissed by the uncontrollable desire for drugs. At this point, a basic change has occurred in the brain. The person is no longer in control. This changed brain makes it almost impossible for drug addicts to stay drug-free without professional help. Because addiction is a brain disease.
 

Courtesy of Partnership for a Drug Free America.

We discussed many important points today. Two points, in particular, I hope you remember. One is that drug abuse and addiction affect every segment of society. That’s all of us. Everyone. Not one person is immune from the disease of addiction.
 
These images today demonstrate that there are observable changes in brain function that take place when drugs are used. We saw that the brains of addicts are different from the brains of people who are not addicted. And it is difficult, in some cases impossible, to return the brain to normal. Scientists, like those who work at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, are working to develop treatments to help people who are addicted to drugs. But treatment, like addiction, is a complex issue.
 

Photo courtesy of NIDA.

What percentage of people who experiment with drugs will become addicted? [Pause for responses.] Right now, science doesn’t have the answer to that question. The effects of drugs on the brain are still being studied and explored.
 
And when we talk about drugs, we are not just talking about cocaine and marijuana and amphetamines and inhalants. Nicotine is highly addictive too, and, for many people, so is alcohol. Forget the stereotype of a drug addict hanging out on a dangerous street corner. Anyone can get hooked on drugs - your friends, members of your family, your neighbors.
 
Trying a drug just because a friend says it’s “cool,” might cost you much more than you bargained for. So every person in this room has to decide for themselves: Is it worth the risk?
 
The good news is: Help is available.