Drug abuse neurotoxicity: alcohol and nicotine as developmental stressors

• Drugs of abuse have the property of inducing adverse health complications, not least neurotoxicity under conditions where both the environmental conditions and activity states associated with their intake may strongly enhance drug toxicity, thereby causing life-threatening health complications and tragedy for relations and caregivers. While both chronic alcohol and/or nicotine abuse induce a variety of neuropathological effects, including damage to the brain, the extent of damage and disruption observed in the developing brain and CNS is a considerable affliction for the affected individuals. On the basis of laboratory and clinical studies, the potential of chemicals, including therapeutic and abused agents, to induce neurotoxic effects has been assessed, with considerations of abuse drugs neurotoxicity encompassing several factors that may accelerate and complicate prevailing conditions; the type and influence of environmental conditions, the presence of daily habits such as coffee breaks/smoking breaks, nutritional status, and neuroimmune system mobilization. Abuse neurotoxicity at several stages of early development, alcohol neurotoxicity, nicotine neurotoxicity, and combinations of alcohol-nicotine neurotoxicity present a threatening scenario of two compounds, benefitting from legality and availability that nevertheless have such potential for destruction over multiple domains, particularly in the undeveloped brain.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Abuse drugs – alcohol – apoptosis – development – nicotine – oxidative stress – smoking.

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