New Research Shows Club Drugs can Cause TBI
The drug Ecstasy and other forms of Methamphetamine drugs have been shown by new research from the University of Florida that they can cause traumatic brain injury. The researchers suggest that drugs and traumatic brain injuries release similar chemical reactions in the brain that cause cell death, memory loss and irreversible brain damage. Abuse of this family of drugs lead to the same types of changes in the brain as does a hard strike to the head. Cell loss and protein fluctuations in the brain are present both after a TBI as well as ecstasy. The damaged proteins cause cells to die and cause brain inflammation under the influence of methamphetamine. “Using methamphetamine is like inflicting a traumatic brain injury on yourself,” said Firas Kobeissy, from the College of Medicine department of psychiatry. “People don’t seem to take club drugs as seriously as drugs such as heroin or cocaine.” Kobiessy also warns that those who take three tablets of ecstasy or speed are taking toxic doses that can cause TBI in different areas of the brain. The researchers admit that future study is necessary for them to determine when or if meth-related brain injuries can reverse themselves.
