Your Brain on Meth: Effects on the Brain and Nervous System

What Happens to Your Brain on Methamphetamine?

The brain relies on neurotransmitters to send messages to and from cells in the brain and body, including the pleasure neurotransmitter dopamine. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, meth works like other stimulants. It causes a massive release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and other neurotransmitters, which creates powerful euphoric effects, energy surges, and feelings of invincibility.[2]

In normal brain functioning, dopamine is released to various parts of the body and the brain and then stored for later use. With meth users, an excess of dopamine is released and not properly recycled or stored. The brain becomes overstimulated, and when the euphoria wears off, the dopamine returns to normal – causing a crash. This can be extremely unpleasant, leading people to take more meth to get that feeling back.

Does Meth Cause Brain Damage?

Methamphetamine is capable of causing cerebral damage not only during intoxication, but also in the long term. This can potentially lead to mental health issues, such as hallucinations, anxiety, depression, delusions, and paranoia. [3]

Other methamphetamine effects on the brain can include:

• Reduced mental resilience
• Impaired decision-making
• Impaired verbal learning
• Reduced motor function
• Structural changes that impact emotion and memory
• Psychosis

Meth use affects cells in the brain called microglia, which are responsible for clearing damaged brain cells and fighting infection. Meth increases the activity of microglia, causing them to destroy healthy brain cells.

What Part of the Brain Does Methamphetamine Affect?

The use of methamphetamine is associated with decreases in the number of neurons in the central nervous system. Though some can be regenerated, it’s limited, so some neurons are lost forever, leading to neuronal death.[4]

Meth abuse can cause neuronal death in different areas of the brain, including:

• The hippocampus, a crucial structure for processing new information and forming memories
• The striatum, a structure in the subcortical areas of the brain that affects movement and directs attention
• The parietal cortex, a structure that’s involved in visualizing objects in space and remembering nonverbal material
• The frontal and prefrontal cortex, the areas of the brain that are crucial in human cognition, including reasoning, attention, problem-solving, and behavioral inhibition
• Several subcortical structures, including the basal ganglia, the reward system, the limbic system, and more
• The cerebellum, which controls various aspects of movement and cognitive function

Long-Term Effects of Methamphetamine on the Brain

Decreased Gliogenesis and White Matter

Glial cells in the central nervous system fight infection and develop myelin – the white matter facilitating communication between nerve cells. Methamphetamine use damages brain cells in several areas, including the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for attention, abstract thought, judgment, and planning.[5] Meth also decreases the production of glial progenitor cells that develop into glial cells.

Meth use damages glial cells and reduces the production of myelin, decreasing the brain’s white matter. This is essential for signaling between neurons in the central nervous system. As a result, neurons become less efficient in transmitting signals, leading to functional deficits.

Impairs Dopamine Transporters

Methamphetamine abuse can greatly impair the function of dopamine transporters in the striatum, a key part of the brain involved in memory and movement. It can take up to 14 months or more of abstinence for these transporters to recover in this region of the brain.[6]

Neurotoxic Effects

There is a growing understanding of the lasting effects of neurotoxicity from methamphetamine abuse, which are proving to be damaging to the brain and nerve cells. The damaged neurons struggle to transmit signals properly, resulting in impairments in controlling impulses, retaining information, making decisions, focusing, and coordinating movements.[7]

Damage to the Brain’s Circulatory System

Methamphetamine affects the blood vessels in the central nervous system, including arteries, veins, and capillaries. Meth use causes an extreme increase in blood pressure and weakens the veins and arteries, leading to scarring, clots, and stroke risk. When strokes occur in the central nervous system, they’re considered ischemic or hemorrhagic ischemic strokes that cut off blood supply to certain areas of the brain. With that, these brain areas are deprived of oxygen over time.[8]

Hemorrhagic strokes are acute and occur when the artery or vein bursts, reducing the blood flow to the tissues of the brain. Though hemorrhagic strokes are generally easier to recover from, both types of strokes can be damaging.

Are the Effects of Methamphetamine on the Brain Reversible?

Some of the brain damage caused by meth is reversible. Studies show that some brain cell activity can be restored after a year or more of abstinence from meth.[9] Some changes can be permanent, however, especially if they’re the result of meth side effects like a stroke.

Meth Addiction Treatment

The effects of meth on the brain are among the biggest risks of using meth, but they’re also a big reason that methamphetamine addiction can be so difficult to overcome.

If you or a loved one is struggling with meth addiction, addiction treatment programs can be effective for addressing methamphetamine use disorder. The treatment options are tailored to your needs, but may include:

Detox

Meth withdrawal usually isn’t life-threatening, but it can be extremely unpleasant. Detox can help you manage your withdrawal symptoms while the drug clears your system, ensuring you’re as comfortable and safe as possible.

Inpatient or Residential Treatment

Inpatient treatment includes a stay in a hospital or residential setting with intensive care, including medical supervision. Other treatments, such as individual counseling and behavioral therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), may also occur.

Outpatient Treatment

Outpatient treatment offers similar treatment options, but they occur during the day. You have the flexibility to balance your day-to-day responsibilities by attending treatment sessions and returning home to manage other obligations.

Aftercare

Aftercare takes place after inpatient or outpatient treatment to transition to day-to-day life and develop support systems to maintain abstinence and prevent relapse.