How crystal meth affects the brain
Crystal meth boostsTrusted Source the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine and stops its reuptake. As a result, it increases the levels of dopamine in the body.
Dopamine playsTrusted Source an important role in motor function, motivation, reward, and how the brain experiences and interprets pleasure.
The dopamine rush in the reward centers of the brain gives a person a sense of euphoria soon after taking the drug.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), brain imaging studies on people who have inappropriately used methamphetamine for a long time suggest that dopamine system activity changes in such a way that it can seriously compromise a person’s verbal learning and motor skills.
Crystal meth can also severely affect the brain’s structure and function. It affects areas of the brain linked to emotion and memory, as well as structures associated with judgment. Due to this, it may radically change behaviors and emotions.
This may explain why people who chronically use crystal meth often develop emotional and cognitive difficulties.
Some of the changes to the brain that result from inappropriate crystal meth use remain long after a person has stopped taking the drug. Other changes to the brain may reverse after long periods of abstinence, but this could take a year or more.
Repeated use can have some psychological effects.
