Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

CNS Stimulants: Cocaine, Amphetamines and Cannabinoids01:24

CNS Stimulants: Cocaine, Amphetamines and Cannabinoids

CNS stimulants, such as cocaine, amphetamines, and cannabinoids, have varying structures and mechanisms of action that lead to different therapeutic effects and side effects. Cocaine, with its molecular formula C17H21NO4, is a tropane alkaloid and a tertiary amino compound. It has two chemical forms: the hydrochloride salt and the "freebase." The former is in powder form, while the latter involves removing the hydrochloride salt to create a form that can be smoked. Cocaine exerts its effects by...
The Blood-brain Barrier00:49

The Blood-brain Barrier

Overview
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena01:15

Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena

Drug dependence, abuse, and addiction are complex phenomena that can precipitate various abnormal states. Physical dependence refers to a state of pharmacological adaptation to a drug. This adaptation often results in tolerance—a reduced response to the drug after repeated administrations. When the drug use is abruptly stopped, withdrawal symptoms occur due to the body's need to readjust from the pharmacologically induced imbalance. However, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms do not necessarily...
Hepatic Encephalopathy01:29

Hepatic Encephalopathy

DefinitionHepatic encephalopathy is a reversible neurologic syndrome that results from advanced liver dysfunction or portosystemic shunting. It leads to disturbances in cognition, behavior, and motor function due to the brain’s exposure to gut-derived toxins that the liver fails to detoxify.EtiologyThis condition develops either in the setting of acute fulminant hepatitis or progressively during chronic liver disease, such as cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Portosystemic shunting—including...
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis01:29

Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis

Drugs affecting neurotransmitter synthesis can impact the adrenergic neuron and the synthesis of neurotransmitters. For example, α-methyltyrosine and carbidopa target specific enzymes involved in catecholamine synthesis. α-methyltyrosine inhibits the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, which converts tyrosine into dopamine. By blocking this enzyme, α-methyltyrosine reduces dopamine production and other catecholamines. Carbidopa, on the other hand, inhibits the enzyme dopa decarboxylase, which converts...
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine01:27

CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine

Ethanol, a clear colorless alcohol, has been consumed by humans for millennia, but its effects on the body are far from benign. At lower doses, it induces decreased inhibitions and loquaciousness, leading to its social appeal. However, it can cause severe consequences at higher doses, such as coma and respiratory depression, due to its zero-order elimination kinetics. Chronic ethanol abuse wreaks havoc on multiple organ systems, particularly the CNS and the liver. Abrupt cessation of ethanol...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Retraction Note: Cerebrolysin Attenuates Exacerbation of Neuropathic Pain, Blood-Spinal Cord Barrier Breakdown and Cord Pathology Following Chronic Intoxication of Engineered Ag, Cu or Al (50-60 nm) Nanoparticles.

Neurochemical research·2026
Same author

Retraction Note to: TiO2-Nanowired Delivery of DL-3-n-butylphthalide (DL-NBP) Attenuates Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption, Brain Edema Formation, and Neuronal Damages Following Concussive Head Injury.

Molecular neurobiology·2026
Same author

Retraction Note to: Exacerbation of Methamphetamine Neurotoxicity in Cold and Hot Environments: Neuroprotective Effects of an Antioxidant Compound H-290/51.

Molecular neurobiology·2026
Same author

Retraction Note: Cardiac arrest-induced regional blood-brain barrier breakdown, edema formation and brain pathology: a light and electron microscopic study on a new model for neurodegeneration and neuroprotection in porcine brain.

Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)·2025
Same author

Surgical treatment to resect giant intraspinal epidural cavernous hemangioma of Cobb syndrome: illustrative case.

Journal of neurosurgery. Case lessons·2025
Same author

Retraction notice to "On the in vivo early toxic properties of Aβ<sub>25-35</sub> peptide in the rat hippocampus: Involvement of the Receptor-for-Advanced Glycation-End-Products and changes in gene expression" [Neurotoxicology and Teratology 33 (2011) 288-296].

Neurotoxicology and teratology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2026

A Visual Description of the Dissection of the Cerebral Surface Vasculature and Associated Meninges and the Choroid Plexus from Rat Brain
12:31

A Visual Description of the Dissection of the Cerebral Surface Vasculature and Associated Meninges and the Choroid Plexus from Rat Brain

Published on: November 14, 2012

Alterations in blood-brain barrier function by morphine and methamphetamine.

Hari Shanker Sharma1, Syed F Ali

  • 1Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Research, Department of Surgical Sciences, Anesthesiology & Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Sharma@surgsci.uu.se

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|November 16, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Morphine withdrawal and methamphetamine stress can disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB), leading to brain dysfunction. This study reveals how these psychostimulants impact BBB integrity and neuronal responses.

More Related Videos

A Simple and Reproducible Method to Prepare Membrane Samples from Freshly Isolated Rat Brain Microvessels
07:13

A Simple and Reproducible Method to Prepare Membrane Samples from Freshly Isolated Rat Brain Microvessels

Published on: May 7, 2018

A General Method for Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation Effects on Intravenous Methamphetamine Self-Administration
09:16

A General Method for Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation Effects on Intravenous Methamphetamine Self-Administration

Published on: January 22, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 18, 2026

A Visual Description of the Dissection of the Cerebral Surface Vasculature and Associated Meninges and the Choroid Plexus from Rat Brain
12:31

A Visual Description of the Dissection of the Cerebral Surface Vasculature and Associated Meninges and the Choroid Plexus from Rat Brain

Published on: November 14, 2012

A Simple and Reproducible Method to Prepare Membrane Samples from Freshly Isolated Rat Brain Microvessels
07:13

A Simple and Reproducible Method to Prepare Membrane Samples from Freshly Isolated Rat Brain Microvessels

Published on: May 7, 2018

A General Method for Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation Effects on Intravenous Methamphetamine Self-Administration
09:16

A General Method for Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation Effects on Intravenous Methamphetamine Self-Administration

Published on: January 22, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain from harmful substances.
  • Psychostimulants like morphine and amphetamine can induce stress and dependence.
  • The impact of drug-induced stress on BBB integrity is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how stress from morphine and amphetamine affects BBB function and brain dysfunction.
  • To examine the relationship between drug dependence, withdrawal, and BBB permeability.
  • To explore the neurobiological responses to psychostimulant administration and withdrawal.

Main Methods:

  • Rodent models (rats and mice) were used to study drug effects.
  • Morphine dependence was induced through repeated administration.
  • BBB permeability was assessed using large molecule tracers (e.g., Evans blue albumin, radioiodine).
  • Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect protein extravasation and expression (e.g., albumin, HSP-72 kD).

Main Results:

  • Morphine dependence did not alter BBB permeability to protein tracers.
  • Morphine withdrawal induced significant stress symptoms and increased BBB permeability to protein tracers, particularly on the second day.
  • Withdrawal also triggered abnormal neuronal, glial, and heat-shock protein 72 kD (HSP-72 kD) responses.
  • Acute methamphetamine administration caused marked extravasation of endogenous serum protein (albumin).

Conclusions:

  • Psychostimulant-induced stress, especially during withdrawal, can compromise BBB function.
  • Alterations in BBB integrity may contribute to psychostimulant-induced brain dysfunction.
  • These findings highlight a novel mechanism by which stress and psychostimulants impact the central nervous system.