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Cocaine can cause the brain to eat itself, new research reveals.

Experts found the drug can trigger out-of-control “autophagy” – a process by which cells literally digest themselves.

Almost one in 10 of all 16-to 59-year-olds have used cocaine in their lifetime. It is the second most widely used illegal drug in the UK behind cannabis.

Dr Prasun Guha, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US – who led the research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said: “A cell is like a household that is constantly generating trash.

“Autophagy is the housekeeper that takes out the trash – it’s usually a good thing.

"But cocaine makes the housekeeper throw away really important things, like mitochondria, which produce energy for the cell.”

Scientists carried out post-mortems which showed clear signs of autophagy-induced cell death in the brains of mice given high doses of cocaine.

They also found evidence of autophagy in the brain cells of mice whose mums received the drug while pregnant.