Does a hypoxic injury from a non-fatal overdose lead to an Alzheimer Disease?

Neurochem Int. 2021 Feb:143:104936. doi: 10.1016/j.neuint.2020.104936. Epub 2020 Dec 10.

Abstract

Long term consequence of non-fatal overdose in people who use opioids are not well understood. The intermittent exposure to non-fatal overdose leads to a tauopathy that is often accompanied by abrogated neuroprotective response, abnormal amyloid processing and other pathologies. The scope and limitations of available literature are discussed including neuropathologies associated with opioid and overdose exposures, contributing comorbidities and proteinopathies. Contrasting postmortem data of overdose victims with animal models of opioid neuropathologies and hypoxic injury paints a picture distinct from other proteinopathies as well as effects of moderate opioid exposure. Furthermore the reported biochemical changes and potential targets for therapeutic intervention were mapped pointing to underlying imbalance between tau kinases and phosphatases that is characteristic of Alzheimer Disease.

Keywords: Alzheimer disease; Non-fatal overdose; Opioid; PP2A; Tau phosphorylation.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alzheimer Disease / metabolism*
  • Alzheimer Disease / pathology
  • Analgesics, Opioid / adverse effects*
  • Animals
  • Drug Overdose / metabolism*
  • Drug Overdose / pathology
  • Humans
  • Opioid-Related Disorders / metabolism*
  • Opioid-Related Disorders / pathology
  • tau Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Analgesics, Opioid
  • MAPT protein, human
  • tau Proteins