Daniel Seichepine, assistant professor of psychology and neuropsychology, recently spoke with WMUR reporter Mike Cronin about the physiological and biological changes triggered by drug use. Seichepine says heroin can actually change the brain, which poses real challenges for users during recovery.
"What happens from the [user's] perspective is they have this intense craving to get back to that normal level," Seichepine says. "That influences their recovery and their desire to keep using the drug now that they're in a permanently different state in the brain."
A clinical neuropsychologist, much of Seichepine's research has been around dementia. He says research has shown that the long-term use of heroin leads to similar brain changes as Alzheimer's disease.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ON WMUR
Interested in exploring neurological conditions like addiction, dementia and mood disorders? LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR NEUROPSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM
