University of Hawaii researchers are looking into the brains of crystal methamphetamine users to find out the consequences of drug use on newborns, children, adults and former users. The researchers will explore the chemistry, physiology and structure of drug users' brains through the magnetic resonance imagining system at Queen's Medical Center.

"It really affects their ability to function," said Dr. Linda Chang, a university researcher and co-director of the Neuroscience and Imagine Research Program at Queen's Medical Center.

The researchers have received about $15 million from the National Institutes of Health, and they expect another $15 million in other grants.

Scientists already know that crystal meth, also called ice, causes swelling, inflammation and less organized nerve fibers. Studies have also shown that children of women who used ice during pregnancy had a smaller brain structure.

The new study for which participants are being recruited will focus on how drugs change the brain during different stages of life.

While abnormalities in the brains of crystal meth users improve with treatment, adults still suffer consequences even after they stop abusing the drug, said Chang, who will work with psychiatry professors Helenna Nakama and Daniel Alicata on the research.

"We see loss of nerve cells in the brain, inflammation and addictive elements. It takes a long time for the brain to heal, at least a year or two before we see improvement," she said.

The research will also evaluate symptoms of ice users in treatment.

"There seems to be a strong relationship between depression and cravings for drugs," Chang said.

Other planned studies will look at 75 adolescents who used meth or are still using it, and 75 teens who do not use drugs. Another analysis will evaluate children ages 3 or 4 who were exposed to ice before birth.

Nationwide, the health and social costs of drug abuse and mental illness are "almost unfathomable," said Dr. Mark Mitchell, chief executive officer of the Kahi Mohala psychiatric hospital.

Between 28 percent and 30 percent of the population has a mental illness or an addictive disorder, he said.

"We are experiencing significantly greater proportions of people with co-occurring disorders," he said.