This is your brain...on drugs...

This is your brain on drugs. Really...this is what the activity in your brain looks like using a SPECT scan. Dr. Daniel Amen has been using the scans for many years to learn how the brain is damaged by the use of drugs. What you see is the activity. You are seeing the energy that is created when your neurons are firing with the help of neurotransmitters (the naturally occurring brain chemicals that assist in brain communication)

The first picture is a normal brain. Notice how smooth it is and symmetrical. The bottom is the pre-frontal cortex...the front of your brain. The top is the occipital lobe...the back of your brain.

So this next brain (pictured below) is obviously a little "in active" in some areas. Notice that there are gaping holes in many areas. These are not really holes, but rather areas where the brain is in-active. The neurotransmitters have diminished in function so the brain has stopped functioning. An important thing to know about drugs us is that all drugs (pot, alcohol, cocaine, opiates...) all are artificial neurotransmitters. They fool the brain. If you do those drugs long enough your brain realizes it does not need to produce the neurotransmitter and stops.

This is what that looks like. This brain is of a person who is 39 years old and has been a heavy weekend drinker for 17 years...

The next brain scan (pictured below) is that of a person who is actively using drugs and alcohol. There are many areas that are in-active at the time of use.

This brain is the same person above after one year of sobriety. Now, what we know about the brain for sure is that it is resilient. It can heal itself. Rather, it can begin producing those neurotransmitters again, if the person stops using.

Here's one for those of you who have teenagers who have told you that smoking pot is no big deal. The brain below is a normal brain with activity shown as the red areas. You can see that all parts of the brain have "red" areas of activity. This person is receiving the information (bottom, back of the brain) and is using the front (or top) of the brain to decide what to do with the information. The sides of the brain show memory and emotional reaction...
all working and active.

Now, check this out. This brain...same person...smoking marijuana. The information is coming in...but it is going no where. See that little red dot in the middle. That is our middle brain...primary function..food, sex, fight or flight etc...it's slightly active. Pretty scary, right?

We are really lucky to live in a time to have access to this great information. Some of it confirms what we have known for years. Your brain does get fried (just like those sizzling eggs in the commercial) from using drugs. But now that we know this...can we do something different?
I hope you do.

For more information about Dr. Amen's SPECT Scans, click here.
For information about twelve step meetings in your area, click here.