Meth Tested on Snails Examines Impact on Memory
There is a reason why methamphetamine can be so hard to kick – even when the drug is doing considerable damage to a person’s mouth, teeth face and body. Crystal meth is highly addictive and seduces users into constantly seeking more as it increases self-esteem, sexual pleasure and induces euphoria.
A recent Science Daily release examines how amphetamines enhance memory. Barbara Sorg from Washington State University, explained that it is so potent that it cannot be easily forgotten and memory plays an important role in addiction.
To examine the effects of meth on memory, Sorg and her team looked at the effect it had on the pond snail. This mollusk holds memories about when to breathe through their breathing tubes in a three neuron network.
To conduct this study, Sorg teamed with Ken Lukowiak from the University of Calgary, Canada. Lukowiak has been working on the mechanisms of memory formation in these snails for most of his career. The two worked together to find out whether a dose of meth could improve the snails’ memories in the way it does human memories.
The snails received training from the research team on when to adjust to certain oxygen levels. Two training sessions were conducted with an hour separating the two sessions. The snails were known to be able to hold memory for more than 24 hours, but the research team wanted to know what would happen in meth-laced water.
When training was conducted in meth-laced water and the snails were tested in meth-free water, they seemed to completely forget their training. When meth was reintroduced to the test water, the snails suddenly remembered their training. This reaction could suggest why it is so hard for human addicts to kick the habit when returning to old haunts that trigger the addiction memory.