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Discussion => Drug safety => Topic started by: mito on August 13, 2012, 12:25 pm

Title: Neuron damage caused by drugs
Post by: mito on August 13, 2012, 12:25 pm
How exactly to certain drugs damage the brain?

For example alcohol, how does it kill neurons?
And THC?

And what are the consequences of Olney's lesions.   Does the neuron eventually die?

And what happens if neurons die?    Loss of cognitive function and/or memory loss?   Or death?


Title: Re: Neuron damage caused by drugs
Post by: Delta11 on August 13, 2012, 01:20 pm
How exactly to certain drugs damage the brain?

For example alcohol, how does it kill neurons?
And THC?

And what are the consequences of Olney's lesions.   Does the neuron eventually die?

And what happens if neurons die?    Loss of cognitive function and/or memory loss?   Or death?
It varies by drug, but the key to preventing damage is taking the right vitamins, eating healthy, exercising and of course moderation.

I used to be a big pothead when I was younger and I would vape only sativas (white widow being my favorite) and I swear to this day I have horrible memory. I've been taking Tryptamine's vitamins and they definitely are helping me recover so I'll continue the routine but in the end just be a low dose warrior.
Title: Re: Neuron damage caused by drugs
Post by: Carbonic on August 13, 2012, 02:01 pm
Well, Delta11 is correct in that it can vary widely drug to drug, but since you specifically mentioned alcohol killing neurons, I feel like you would find it interesting that there is no evidence that alcohol kills neurons. I read in a different article than posted below that the levels of alcohol that would start to outright kill brain cells are great enough that you would die before reaching that point.
Of course with alcohol, as with many things, it can damage your brain without killing brain cells, so as Delta11 said: everything in moderation.

Source: http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/healthissues/1103162109.html

Does Drinking Alcohol Kill Brain Cells?

by David J. Hanson, Ph. D.

The idea that alcohol kills brain cells has long been promoted. The early temperance writers made this assertion and also insisted that the alcohol in their blood could cause “drunkards” to catch fire and burn alive. 1 This combustion argument against drinking was dropped long ago but many anti-alcohol writers continue to promote the idea that even moderate drinking causes brain cells to die.

Scientific medical research has actually demonstrated that the moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with better cognitive (thinking and reasoning) skills and memory than is abstaining from alcohol. Moderate drinking doesn’t kill brain cells but helps the brain function better into old age. Studies around the world involving many thousands of people report this finding. 2

Of course, years of alcohol abuse can cause serious neurological damage, including Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Harm can be done to message-carrying dendrites on neurons in the cerebellum, a part of the brain involved in learning and physical coordination. But even in such extreme cases, there’s a lack of evidence that alcohol kills brain cells. 3

However, abstinence after chronic alcohol abuse enables brains to repair themselves, according to new research involving rats. 4

During simulated alcohol “binges,” rats’ ability to create new brain cells was reduced. But after the animals no longer consumed alcohol they had a “huge burst” in new brain cell development. The study is the first to demonstrate that brain cell production can return after abstinence from alcohol abuse.

People who drink too much and are thinking about either reducing or eliminating their drinking should find these findings encouraging, although humans have not yet been tested directly for the positive brain effects.
Title: Re: Neuron damage caused by drugs
Post by: IckerS on August 13, 2012, 02:05 pm
Neurons die all the time, that's not just due to drugs and whatnot.

THC only impairs them a bit, and in due time, if you stay off it, you'll regain normal faculties... Unless, of course, it's happened to have triggered a mental illness ;P