Effects of Substance Use on Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury 1

Abstract

In the United States, traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of neurological disability. Head injury disrupts the structural and functional integrity of the brain and impairs cognition, including frontal lobe function. Alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine affect the central nervous system in a variety of ways. These drugs sometimes change the turnover and level of neurotransmitters, particularly acetylcholine, in a manner opposite to that of head injury. Although theoretically, such changes could represent a compensation for the effects of head injury, the available literature shows that substance use is harmful to the survivor of traumatic brain injury.