How Cocaine Scrambles Genes in the Brain

Well another reason why this drug should be one of the most illegal on the planet.

It's hardly a secret that taking coc aine can change the way you feel and the way you behave. Now, a study published in the Jan. 8 issue of Science shows how it also alters the way the genes in your brain operate. Understanding this process could eventually lead to new treatments for the 1.4 million Americans with coc aine problems, and millions more around the world.

The study, which was conducted on mice, is part of a hot new area of research called epigenetics, which explores how experiences and environmental exposures affect genes. "This is a major step in understanding the development of coc aine addiction and a first step toward generating ideas for how we might use epigenetic regulation to modulate the development of addiction," says Peter Kalivas, professor of neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, who was not associated with the study.

You can read the rest of the story here.

This is very disturbing, more and more these drugs are becoming "super" drugs and are far more dangerous that we initially thought.

New treatments are definitely needed for coc aine addiction: there are helpful medications for addiction to heroin and similar drugs, but so far, none are particularly useful against stimulants like coc aine and methamphetamine. And with federal reports now showing that more than two-thirds of all coc aine in the country is cut with a veterinary deworming drug called levamisole, which can cause potentially fatal immune-system problems, the risks from coc aine are greater — and the search for new answers more urgent than ever.

This is especially disturbing, I knew they cut drugs with messed up products, but come on a Deworming agent? Really?

Any thoughts on this ATS?

~Keeper

That study reminds me of a study conducted in the U.K. a few years ago. It was the biggest and most expensive study undertaken on ecstacy. The findings? Ecstacy alters the normal functions of the brain. A drug, by definition, is any substance that alters the normal functions of the brain.

For the most part I believe that illegal drugs are no more harmful than prescription drugs. In fact, more people die as a direct result of prescription drugs than illegal drugs. Remember, virtually all illegal drugs were legal at some stage and most were invented and marketed by pharmaceutical companies.


The biggest problem with illegal drugs is that they're illegal. This means that there is no regulation in the industry so purity and price are dictated by the manufacturers and distributors. It also exposes users to the crimminal world and can lead to life changing legal issues. The list goes on and on.


Ideally, we would stop people from taking drugs through education and eradicating the source etc but that approach has failed miserably.

I can't help but feel that if the government took over the industry and enforced strict regulations, the vast majority of problems associated with illegal drugs would disappear.

At least (you would hope) they wouldn't cut coc aine with a veterinary product.

In a truly free society no drugs would be illegal.

As for bringing up the things they cut drugs with, that only goes to show the problems with making them illegal.

If they were not illegal, the user could get pure drugs, not ones filled with other poisons.

I would like to see the numbers comparing legal drug problems with illegal drug problems, then the discussion would be open and honest.


edit to fix gramma

[edit on 1/9/2010 by endisnighe]

Originally posted by tothetenthpower

1.4 million Americans with coc aine problems

Don't you think that is a little high compared to the population 308.3 million? That's nearly 1 of every 300 people.

I'm wondering if that data has been manipulated. I know many people use the drug, but not that many.

[edit on 9-1-2010 by Phlynx]

reply to post by Phlynx


It depends really if you think about it. About 98% of US bills are coated in some form of Cocain, I remember reading right here on ATS a couple of months ago.

Cocaine is the largest drug traffic in the US it would not surprise me that so many use it.

And I agree with the above posters that Illegality makes things so much worse and it prevents us from creating programs to educate and reform drug users, versus just throwing them in Jail where the only thing they accomplish is becoming smarter, faster criminals.

~Keeper

I wonder if it is possible to get brain back to normal or genes back to where they were before?

I know that many drug addicts suffer different kinds of mental disorders from drug use.

Sometimes I hear doctors say that the damage done by drugs is irreparable. I wonder if that is true?

I have also hear about some people who has cancer or any kind of genes deformity who keep on thinking positively which result in cancer disappearing or genes altering back to normal.

reply to post by Deaf Alien


I think they are lying, or just don't know so answer no. The reason I say this is look at the guy who lost half of his brain functions and trained the other half to operate as two.

That was repaired brain damage as far as I am concerned.

~Keeper

Originally posted by endisnighe
In a truly free society no drugs would be illegal.

As for bringing up the things they cut drugs with, that only goes to show the problems with making them illegal.

If they were not illegal, the user could get pure drugs, not ones filled with other poisons.



[edit on 1/9/2010 by endisnighe]

And tobacco/nicotine, being legal, is definitely not "cut" with, or has nothing added to, anything that could be remotely considered poisonous, and there aren't hundreds of different chemical additives in different brands of cigarettes?

Otherwise, i mostly agree with you. And the fact that they (drugs) should be legalized, usage reduced though education, and propaganda and false information (which initialed the illegality of many of them) should be exposed. Etc.

Google: Ingredients in Cigarettes

*shrug* Had to point that out, about the cigs.

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
Well another reason why this drug should be one of the most illegal on the planet.

It's hardly a secret that taking coc aine can change the way you feel and the way you behave. Now, a study published in the Jan. 8 issue of Science shows how it also alters the way the genes in your brain operate. Understanding this process could eventually lead to new treatments for the 1.4 million Americans with coc aine problems, and millions more around the world.

The study, which was conducted on mice, is part of a hot new area of research called epigenetics, which explores how experiences and environmental exposures affect genes. "This is a major step in understanding the development of coc aine addiction and a first step toward generating ideas for how we might use epigenetic regulation to modulate the development of addiction," says Peter Kalivas, professor of neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina, who was not associated with the study.

You can read the rest of the story here.

This is very disturbing, more and more these drugs are becoming "super" drugs and are far more dangerous that we initially thought.

New treatments are definitely needed for coc aine addiction: there are helpful medications for addiction to heroin and similar drugs, but so far, none are particularly useful against stimulants like coc aine and methamphetamine. And with federal reports now showing that more than two-thirds of all coc aine in the country is cut with a veterinary deworming drug called levamisole, which can cause potentially fatal immune-system problems, the risks from coc aine are greater — and the search for new answers more urgent than ever.

This is especially disturbing, I knew they cut drugs with messed up products, but come on a Deworming agent? Really?

Any thoughts on this ATS?

~Keeper

They do anything to make money Its horrid,vile and play with peoples lives but they are no worse than the governments with alcohol.

I think you're misinterpreting the article. Epigenetics means above the gene. It has to do with gene expression, to my understanding. No genes are being scrambled from coc aine use. At least that's not what happens from fluctuations in epigenetics. All that's happening is a foreign substance is altering the rate at which neurotransmitters are firing, and in what order, based on changes of gene expression. This isn't permanent. It happens constantly based on a multitude of factors. Even the diet changes us on the epigenetic level. Basically, this article amounts to not much of anything.

edit for: nope, it's TIME magazine that's spreading disinfo with the title. That's not your creation. My bad.

[edit on 9-1-2010 by unityemissions]