Chronic abuse of methamphetamine leads to cognitive dysfunction and high rates of relapse, paralleled by significant changes of brain dopamine and serotonin neurotransmission. Previously, we found that rats with extended access to methamphetamine self-administration displayed enhanced methamphetamine-primed reinstatement of drug-seeking and cognitive deficits relative to limited access animals....

BACKGROUND Abnormal patterns of metabolite levels have been detected by magnetic resonance spectroscopy in frontostriatal regions of individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for methamphetamine dependence, but less is known about the effects of drug abstinence on metabolite levels. OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of long-term methamphetamine use and drug abstinence on brain metabolite levels. DE...

Methamphetamine-induced toxicity has been shown to require striatal dopamine and to involve mechanisms associated with oxidative stress. Dopamine is a reactive molecule that can oxidize to form free radicals and reactive quinones. Although this has been suggested to contribute to the mechanism of toxicity, the oxidation of dopamine has never been directly measured after methamphetamine exposure...

The current research analyzed the relationship between methamphetamine use and health and social outcomes. Interviews were conducted with a sample of 106 respondents. Virtually all of the respondents experienced negative consequences of methamphetamine use. The most serious, but least prevalent, methamphetamine-related health problem was seizures and convulsions. The most prevalent health effec...

Despite the worldwide extent of methamphetamine dependence, no medication has been shown to effectively treat afflicted individuals. One relatively unexplored approach is modulation of cholinergic system function. Animal research suggests that enhancement of central cholinergic activity, possibly at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), can reduce methamphetamine-related behaviors. Furthe...

Methamphetamine is a stimulant commonly abused in many parts of the United States. Most methamphetamine users are white men 18 to 25 years of age, but the highest usage rates have been found in native Hawaiians, persons of more than one race, Native Americans, and men who have sex with men. Methamphetamine use produces a rapid, pleasurable rush followed by euphoria, heightened attention, and in...

In Australia and increasingly worldwide, methamphetamine is one of the most commonly seized drugs analysed by forensic chemists. The current well-established GC/MS methods used to identify and quantify methamphetamine are lengthy, expensive processes, but often rapid analysis is requested by undercover police leading to an interest in developing this new analytical technique. Ninety six illicit...

A study was undertaken to develop demographic, toxicologic, and pathological profiles of methamphetamine-related deaths. Anatomic and toxicologic findings in 413 deaths where methamphetamine was detected were compared with findings in a control group of 114 drug-free trauma victims. The number of cases per year did not change significantly over the course of the study. Mean age was 36.8 years, ...

A neurotoxic regimen of methamphetamine impairs object recognition (OR) in rats. The present study investigated whether neurotoxicity is a necessary component of methamphetamine's effect on OR. Animals were exposed to a sensitizing regimen of methamphetamine, and were tested for OR one week, and locomotor behavior two weeks, later. Quantitative autoradiography was used to measure [(125)I]RTI-55...