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Cocaine is a drug that can change the structure of the brain instantly
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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American scientists have conducted several experiments that have proven that cocaine can change the structure of the brain in just three to four hours. Over the course of several months, researchers have conducted a fairly large number of experiments involving animals and can now confidently say that the popular drug makes irreversible changes to the human body.
Experiments conducted on mammals have shown that after cocaine is absorbed into the blood, new cellular structures are formed in the body (or more precisely, in the brain) that can affect memory and reaction speed.
Cocaine is an alkaloid of plant origin (primarily South America), which has a narcotic and analgesic effect. The indigenous population of South America has long used coca leaves, which were famous for their energetic, tonic and narcotic effects. In the second half of the nineteenth century, pure cocaine began to be extracted from the leaves of the South American plant, which was initially used only for medical purposes.
Cocaine is currently one of the most dangerous drugs, the use of which is an acute social problem in the modern world. Researchers from the University of California believe that the first signs of drug addiction are that after cocaine is absorbed by the body, new cellular structures are formed in the brain. Experiments conducted on small rodents have shown that drug addiction is directly related to significant changes in the structure of the brain. Addiction to the drug arose only after the formation of new cells in the brain matter.
The research conducted at the American university was initially aimed at a detailed study of the formation of drug addiction. At the moment, a large number of young people are addicted to drugs that have a detrimental effect on health and social status, so scientists have been studying the emergence of addiction for many years.
In the latest experiments, small rodents were asked to choose one of two rooms, each with a specific interior and smell. After the mice had decided on the room, the specialists injected them with a small dose of cocaine. A few hours later, the scientists examined the animals' brain cells using modern laser microscopes and then analyzed the data. Analysis of the results showed that the mice that were injected with the drug had membrane growths in their brain cells that could affect memory and reaction speed. The scientists also noted that the environment in which the drug was first taken could subsequently affect the animal's behavior: after the cocaine injection, the mice always chose the room in which the injection had been given earlier.
Doctors from Great Britain confirmed the importance of this experiment, they believe that any work on studying the origin of drug addiction can help in the treatment of drug addiction.
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