Cocaine and Memory

According to information published by NIH in NIDA Notes, the current best hope for recovery from cocaine use involves behavioral therapy, “in which people learn to ignore the cues that trigger their drug craving and to establish new habits that provide healthy rewards.” Reported conclusions from research studies by  Nader, Gould, and colleagues at Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, showed good news and bad news. The bad news is that ongoing cocaine exposure weakens two brain functions that human beings require for successful behavioral change. These functions involve cognitive flexibility and memory. The good news? The study suggests that, with abstinence, as shown in rhesus monkeys, the human  brain also may be capable of returning to normal.

http://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2013/08/study-pinpoints-cognitive-deficits-due-to-cocaine-finds-potential-recovery?utm_source=Updates&utm_medium=ConstantContact&utm_content=08.28.2013&utm_campaign=NIDANotes