Wild Fish Addicted to Methamphetamine: How the Stimulant Possibly Affects Wild Brown Trout

A new study recently found that methamphetamine can be addictive to wild fish. In a new study, Czech Republic researchers investigated how this stimulant, with a growing number of users all over the world, might be impacting the wild brown trout.

A ScienceAlert report specified whether concentrations of the stimulant and amphetamine, as described in the National Library of Medicine as one of the stimulant's byproducts approximated from other research, have measured illicit drug concentrations in waterways, could be identified in the brown trout's brains.

The researchers looked too at whether such concentrations were enough to result in the animals becoming addicted.

The trout were exposed to the drug in huge tanks over eight weeks and then put into withdrawal, turning "cold turkey" in zero-drug tanks for 10 days.

At that time, the study investigators tested the preference of fish for freshwater or water that contained methamphetamine and compared this with the reactions of fish that had never been exposed to the drug.

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Trout's Exposure to Methamphetamine

As indicated in the study, Methamphetamine pollution elicits addiction in wild fish, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, the methamphetamine-exposed fish preferred the water that contained the drug, while no such preference was exhibited for the untreated fish.

In addition, the study authors discovered, too, that during the withdrawal period, the trout exposed to methamphetamine moved less. They interpreted this as a sign of stress or anxiety, the usual signs of drug withdrawal in humans.

The exposed fish's brain chemistry differed from the unexposed as well, with several identified changes in brain chemicals that correspond to what is observed in occurrences of human addiction.

Even after behavioral impacts had vanished 10 days after withdrawal, these markers in the brain remained present. This then proposes that exposure to methamphetamine could have long-lasting impacts, the same as what is seen in humans.

Impact on Ecosystems and Fish Biology

A similar The Journal Daily report said, there are various reasons humans need to care if trout are becoming addicted to methamphetamine. If the wild trout are liking the drugs as they appear to be in this recent research, they may tend to hang around pipes where sewage is discharged.

It's known that the fish can behave in a similar way to what is observed in humans who suffer from addiction, not just from this test but also from various studies on different fish species.

One of the trademarks of drug addiction, this study specified, is a loss of interest in other activities, even those that are typically highly encouraged, like eating or reproducing.

Possibly, the fish might begin to change their natural behavior, resulting in problems with their feeding, breeding, and eventually, survival. For example, they may be less likely to escape predators.

Drug exposure does not only impact the fish themselves but also their offspring. In fish, addiction can be inherited over many generations. This could have long-term implications for ecosystems, even if the issue were dealt with now.

This is not the first research to discover illicit drugs in wildlife. Scientists in the United Kingdom reported in 2019 cocaine in freshwater shrimp in all 15 rivers they sampled. Intriguingly, they discovered illicit drugs more frequently compared to some common pharmaceuticals.

Related information about methamphetamine is shown on Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's YouTube video below: