December 10, 2004 – Regular cocaine use is said to atrophy the cerebral amygdala, a nucleus of gray matter involved in emotional and behavioral functions.
This discovery, made by researchers in Boston1, would, according to them, explain why cocaine addicts generally have difficulty understanding the repercussions of some of their behaviors.
The cerebral amygdala – not to be confused with the laryngeal glands of the same name – is part of the limbic system involved in processes of a behavioral and emotional nature, as well as in the shaping of memory. It underpins the ability to judge and anticipate the actions of individuals.
As it intervenes in the process of pleasure, the cerebral amygdala is partly responsible for the activation of desire linked to the consumption of cocaine.
The researchers wanted to check the volume of the cerebral amygdala and the hippocampus in cocaine addicts. To do this, they compared – using magnetic resonance imaging – the brains of 27 people addicted to cocaine to that of subjects not using this illicit drug.
The images they obtained revealed that the volume of the cerebral amygdala was smaller in white powder addicts than in others. The size of the hippocampus was similar in all subjects.
Cocaine is a powerful drug that stimulates or speeds up the nervous system. It is made from the leaves of a shrub, coca, which grows in the Andes mountains of South America.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. Makris N, Gasic GP, Seidman LJ, Goldstein JM, et al, Decreased Absolute Amygdala Volume in Cocaine Addicts, Neuron, November 18, 2004, Vol. 44, No 4, 729-40.
