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Significant abnormalities’ in brains of cocaine users

Heavy users of cocaine are likely to have “significant abnormalities” in their brains, according to a new study.

Researchers found that people addicted to cocaine showed a marked decrease in the “grey matter” of their frontal lobes during brain scans, the Guardian reports. The frontal lobes are responsible for many key brain functions including decision-making and memory. Karen Ersche of the University of Cambridge, who led the research, said: “We found significant abnormalities in the brains of the cocaine users.” She added that the longer a person had been using cocaine, the more their attention span was affected.