Opiates brain damage and HGH

[Bucklecroft Rudy]

Im aware that this has been broached on the boards, but I felt that the time was right to reignite discussion. Its well known that opiates can cause mild brain damage as an indirect consequence through respiratory depression. Apparently administering human growth hormone can either reverse or slow this process: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=can-hgh-reverse-brain-dam
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/566582-uppsala-growth

Turmeric has also been cited as a potential aid in brain cell regeneration specifically in post stroke patients. Of course given that stroke brain damage is a result of oxygen starvation this is highly highly relevant.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...treatment-protect-regenerate-brain-cells.html
The chemical responsible is curcumin

 

[Nephtys]

hmm, opiates don't directly cause damage, do they? It's indirect trough respiratory depression?

 

[Bucklecroft Rudy]

Yes exactly. I'll try and find a study which addresses the oxygen blood level drops. Im assuming that od's and nods occuring frequently over a long period of time would cause noticable damage.

 

[sekio]

Don't double post threads.

 

[Epsilon Alpha]

I'll reopen this as I think if the scientific discussion happens here and the "practical" side stays in OD. I'm interested in seeing where this goes and believe it to be a good topic to discuss.

Any idea if any particular opioids are more prone to causing it? I would think potent DOR agonists would be a class to look at more.

 

[sekio]

I don't think there exists any evidence at all that opioids are directly neurotoxic (a la methamphetamine). Best I've heard is hydrocodone being ototoxic (toxic to the ear) & of course the usual horomone fuckery

If you're overdosing on any sedative to the point of respiratory depression there's going to be brain damage. So don't overdose with repiratory depressants.

Why this is an issue is beyond me. Dosing opioids shouldn't result in so much opioid activity that you induce hypoxia. Should we also have a thread for preventing barbiturate and ethanol induced hypoxic brain damage. How about nireous oxide? Xenon? Gasoline? Meduna's mixture?

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

They do. I'm sure the hypoxia is region-specific at least based on class. Its my opinion that its important to talk about this regarding opiates if just to spread the no-so-well-known word that it exists.

this http://www.jneurosci.org/content/30/7/2795.full ( β3-adrenergic receptors foster nuerogenesis) along with this http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/36304/http:/ and this /www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0006899385902598 (opiates down-regulate endogenous nor-epinepherine) would explain some of this damage. Drinking caffeine should reduce this disparity.

There must be a more direct way though. A specific β3 or broad adrenergic agonist would help. Yohimbe/Ephidrine perhaps.

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/sa/a/blue050621.htm ("Other nerve cells showed an accumulation of the amyloid precursor protein, which suggests that protein transport had been disrupted and the nerve cell functions affected.")

Generally, obviously, engaging in activities that promote nuerogenesis is helpful.

This doctor created his own protocol for such, OP:
http://www.restoreunity.org/brain_regeneration_in_heroin_addiction.htm
"Additionally, heroin use results in damage to brain tissue from free radicals. Free radicals are created by stress to the body"

Want to reduce free radicals? Antioxidants my friend.

And I can't recommend fish oil enough. Especially if you have any psychiatric ailment. It also is a godsend for the psychological torment (and sort of the physical too) of opiate withdrawal.

This is speculative.

 

[Bucklecroft Rudy]

I think that opiates cause damage to the hippocampus alone. If so that is great news since neurogenesis occurs in the hippocampus throughout adult life. Im looking into neurogenesis right now.. fascinating stuff. As early as 1998 the entire scientific community turned 360 having believed that the brain was formed in 20 years and endured a slow decline thereafter. Neurogenesis occurs in two major regions of the brain (forget which) and while some neurons are destroyed (short term memory formation) some remain and are intgrated into the fabric of the brain.
The hippocampus regulates memory which is likely how they found that opiate addicted teens had a higher rate of dementia. Since the development of the brain doesnt seem to be comparable to bone growth, I presume that cessation of opiate taking will not only restore baseline levels of neural health but will allow the brain to reach the statre it would have sans addiction.

 

[endotropic]

I think that opiates cause damage to the hippocampus alone. If so that is great news since neurogenesis occurs in the hippocampus throughout adult life. Im looking into neurogenesis right now.. fascinating stuff. As early as 1998 the entire scientific community turned 360 having believed that the brain was formed in 20 years and endured a slow decline thereafter. Neurogenesis occurs in two major regions of the brain (forget which) and while some neurons are destroyed (short term memory formation) some remain and are intgrated into the fabric of the brain.
The hippocampus regulates memory which is likely how they found that opiate addicted teens had a higher rate of dementia. Since the development of the brain doesnt seem to be comparable to bone growth, I presume that cessation of opiate taking will not only restore baseline levels of neural health but will allow the brain to reach the statre it would have sans addiction.

Why do you believe that opiates cause damage only to the hippocampus? That would be really surprising if the damage is just coming from hypoxia. You're correct though that neurogenesis continues in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus throughout life (as well as the olfactory bulb).