Drugs cause brain damage in
children and young people, research shows
User evaluation reveals that substances
affect seven neurological regions
Isabel Gardenal
They are seemingly normal people. They live in Campinas, wandering around the city center. Walking in rhythm and using metalanguage are some points that generally characterize children and adolescents in their informal ghettos and in society. The common thread in each person's life story is that they are all users of some type of drug.
Concerned about this, the neurologist at the Hospital das Clínicas da Unicamp (HC) Elba Etchebehere, who provides services to the Federation of Assistance Entities of Campinas (Feac), observed that the street children assisted by this institution, and who make continuous use of multiple Drugs - crack, cola, cocaine, marijuana and alcohol - present neurological damage that can be irreversible.
The neurologist's concern, until then hypothetical, came to be confirmed with the data obtained in the research project "Cerebral spect in children and adolescents using multiple drugs", carried out in partnership with the Nuclear Medicine Area at Unicamp, in which they were evaluated 16 patients aged between 11 and 18 years old who voluntarily agreed to participate in the research.
Subjected to neurological examinations at Feac, they were also evaluated at the Hospital das Clínicas (HC) using a brain scan. The result was surprising: 100% of the cases indicated some type of brain impairment, when compared to non-drug users, and this after undergoing two years of detoxification.
Complementary exam - In practice, spect is an exam used in clinics and hospitals in which the patient remains at rest for a brief period (15 minutes), away from visual and auditory stimuli. A radiopharmaceutical is injected into it, a substance labeled with a radioactive component that attaches to neurons.
The image displayed is obtained from a scintillation camera capable of acquiring several images of the brain in 360º (tomography type), with gamma-ray emission, which makes it possible to observe perfusion (arrival of blood in the different areas of the brain) and brain function. "This is how we can infer which segments are functioning properly", explains Elba Etchebehere, assistant physician in the Nuclear Medicine Area at HC and research coordinator.
Scope of drugs – The evaluation showed that the neurological regions most affected by the action of the drugs were seven (right frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, visual area, vermis, pons and cerebellum), out of the 11 existing ones. "It is good to emphasize, however, that all cases presented some impairment", explains Rodrigo Rizzo Nogueira Ramos, resident in nuclear medicine.
According to Elba, so far it is not possible to accurately predict the damage resulting from the uninterrupted use of drugs. "What is known is that the greater the exposure to them, the worse the injury."
The HC team, committed to uncovering other answers resulting from this innovative project, the first to study children and adolescents who use multiple drugs, proposes that another investigation be developed in the near future to understand whether drugs have a delayed effect, with a margin of five years of abstinence, and whether the damage evidenced thanks to the brain spect diminishes over time. "The most prevalent symptoms observed in this study covered the behavioral and motor spheres. Patients are extremely aggressive, develop lack of motor control, suffer gait changes (commonly known as drunken walking) and are unable to handle cutlery or walk in a straight direction" .
Feac aims to promote human development, assistance and social well-being, with priority given to children and adolescents in Campinas and the region. Provides technical-scientific advice to affiliated entities through a multidisciplinary team. With the implementation of several projects and programs, it provides permanent and direct assistance to approximately 15 thousand people, 90% of which are children and adolescents, and indirectly to approximately 45 thousand people.
