Jeddah, September 17, 2023, SPA — A study on drug abuse conducted at the College of Applied Medical Sciences of King Abdulaziz University linked amphetamine addiction to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease at an early age.
The study, which interviewed several amphetamine addicts aged 23 to 40 at one of the Al-Amal psychiatric hospitals, aimed to understand how amphetamine addiction is linked to an early onset of Alzheimer’s, contrary to the claims of some other studies.
Associate Professor of Neuroscience at the Medical Laboratory Sciences Department of King Abdulaziz University, and head of the Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Unit Aziza Rashed Mubarak Alrafiah said that her study was conducted by examining inflammatory biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) plasma.
Laboratory results showed elevated levels of the AD biomarker proteins in the blood of addicted people compared to non-addicted, which is the case of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Alrafiah said that changes in the inflammatory biomarkers may be linked to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease at a young age in amphetamine addicts.
She said that the results of the study demonstrate that amphetamine addiction at an early age may cause severe physical and mental problems, including increased signs of inflammation that causes Alzheimer’s disease.
–SPA
17:28 Local Time 14:28 GMT
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