Consuming cocaine or heroin could decrease the white matter of the brain, which would lead to difficulties in transmitting certain information.
- Tobacco is the most addictive substance according to Inserm.
- According to Inserm, the earlier a person begins to use a substance, the greater the risk of addiction.
In France, several million people are affected by one or more addictions according to theNational Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). Tobacco, then heroin, cocaine and alcohol are the products most at risk and whose problematic consumption is the most frequent.
A decrease in the amount of white matter
Researchers have just published a study in which they study the consequences of the consumption of cocaine and heroin on the brain. According to them, in people who are addicted, these drugs lead to a decrease in the amount of white matter.
White matter is part of the central nervous system and is mostly made up of nerve fibers. Its role is to enable communication between the different areas of the brain. So when the white matter is affected – as is the case with cocaine or heroin – some information has difficulty being transmitted to the brain.
Degradation of the link between the prefrontal cortex and the habenula
To reach this conclusion, the authors studied the brains of drug addicts. So they compared their brain scans with those of people who weren’t using drugs. The aim was to analyze the transmission of information between the prefrontal cortex – which plays a role in the regulation of executive functions and decision-making – and the habenula, an area involved in the understanding of risks and rewards.
Results: The link between the prefrontal cortex and the habenula was impaired, even in people who had recently stopped taking drugs. “Degeneration is greater in users who first used the drug at a young age, pointing to a potential role of this information circuit in the development of risk factors for early mortality.says Sarah King, the lead author of the study.
Predispositions to addiction or relapse
The brain disturbances caused by cocaine and heroin use are similar. The authors therefore believe that this could also be the case for other addictions and even, more broadly, for all people dependent on a substance.
Scientists intend to continue their research in the hope of opening new therapeutic avenues to cure addictions. Indeed, if the effects in the brain are the same for all addictions, this could mean that some people would have a predisposition to addiction or relapse depending on the functioning of their brain…
