Neuropathological Findings in Drug Abusers

Older autopsy studies of drug deaths predominantly focused on cerebrovascular complications or the consequences of hypoxic-ischemic conditions which were considered as unspecific secondary findings. However, subsequent systematic neuropathological studies have shown profound morphological CNS alterations. The major findings encompassed hypoxic-ischemic-independent neuronal loss, reduction of GFAP-positive astrocytes, widespread areas of demyelination and axonal damage with concomitant microglia activation, disturbances of various constituents of the BBB as well as reactive and degenerative cerebrovascular alterations.