(Image source: Reproduction / Flickr by Giuseppe Bognanni)

Research published on Tuesday (April 24) in the journal Molecular Psychiatry indicates that frequent cocaine use causes your brain to age extremely rapidly. According to the scientists in charge, gray matter loss occurs at a faster rate than normal in those who are drug dependent.

The study evaluated a total of 120 people - 60 of whom had the habit of using the substance. Examinations have revealed that those who use the drug lose an average volume of 3.08 milliliters of brain per year, twice the amount of those who did not use any kind of drug. Most of the losses occurred in the prefrontal and temporal cortex, zones responsible for controlling aspects such as attention, decision-making, self-control and memory.

“As we get older, everyone loses gray matter, ” says Dr. Karen Ersche of Cambridge University. “But what we see is that chronic cocaine users lose gray matter at a much faster rate, which shows signs of premature aging. Our findings provide new insight into why cognitive deficits seen at older ages are also often seen in middle-aged people who use the drug, ”he adds.

According to Motherboard, United Nations surveys show that there are about 21 million cocaine users around the world - of which 1% is dependent on the drug. This can result in a serious problem in the future as many working age people would be unable to do any activity due to the early aging of their brains.