Amphetamine toxicities
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences January 8, 2010 Bryan K. Yamamoto, Anna Moszczyńska, Gary A. Gudelsky 280 citations
Methamphetamine and MDMA cause long-lasting reductions in markers of biogenic amine neurotransmission, traditionally linked to nerve terminal damage, in rodents, nonhuman primates, and humans. Recent evidence shows damage may extend to cell bodies of various neurons and blood–brain barrier endothelial cells. The damage involves oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation, ubiquitin proteasome dysfunction, and mitochondrial and neurotrophic factor impairment. These mechanisms overlap with those in chronic stress and HIV infection, both of which amplify methamphetamine toxicity. The frequent co-occurrence of substituted amphetamine abuse with HIV or chronic stress suggests increased vulnerability to neurotoxicity in these individuals.