Using Meth doesn’t really ‘take you up’. It decreases memory and reaction time when used over time. Methamphetamine abuse decreases dopamine transporter activity and compromises mental function. The brain image at the top left is a PET image from a normal control subject. The striatum is brightly lit in red and yellow, indicating the presence of many dopamine transporters, which contrasts with the brain of a methamphetamine abuser (bottom left). What does this mean functionally?
The graphs on the right show the relationship between performance on a motor (upper right) and a memory task (lower right) and methamphetamine-driven decreases in dopamine transporters. The magnitude of the decline in the dopamine transporter binding is positively correlated with the extent of motor and memory impairment; thus the greater the decline, the greater the impairment in memory and motor reaction time.