Cocaine Destroys Gray Matter Brain Cells and Accelerates Brain Aging
The consumption of cocaine is linked to a range of detrimental outcomes, including addiction, cognitive deficits, and an elevated risk of developing psychiatric disorders. This study sought to assess the effect of cocaine on brain structure by utilizing both statistical (e.g., voxel-based morphometry) and machine learning (e.g., brain age estimation) models. The results from our experiment showed that individuals with cocaine use disorder (CUD) had a significantly reduced amount of gray matter (GM) when compared to age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs), implying GM deterioration. In addition, the machine learning model revealed that CUD patients had a higher brain age than that of the HCs, indicating accelerated aging.
tl;dr extra tarded now