Pondering Methamphetamine’s Effects on the Brain with Jean Lud Cadet

Jean Lud Cadet is a neurologist and neuroscientist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse whose research is revealing why some people become addicted to methamphetamine while others do not, and how methamphetamine can damage and kill neurons resulting in long-lasting or even permanent impairments of learning and memory. His recent findings suggest that methamphetamine can cause enduring alterations in gene expression in neurons by mechanisms involving epigenetic mechanisms.  This research is providing insight into new approaches for identifying people at high risk for addiction and treating those who are already addicted.

Links:

 Jean Lud Cadet webpage:

https://irp.nida.nih.gov/staff-members/jean-lud-cadet/

Jean Lud Cadet on Wikepedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Lud_Cadet

METH epigenetics:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535492/pdf/genes-12-01614.pdf

METH addiction and potassium channels:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7865894/pdf/ijms-22-01249.pdf