The shock study found the drug caused mice’s brain cells to literally destroy themselves when taken in high doses.
However, while the drug can cause ‘autophagy’ where cells eat themselves, it can also be used to help dissolve unwanted cells.
Dr Prasun Guha, who led the research, 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 found evidence of this in mice whose mothers had cocaine while pregnant.
Tests showed a new drug was able to protect nerve cells from cocaine death due to autophagy.
But more research is needed to find whether the drug can prevent damage caused by cocaine on people.
Co-author Dr Maged Harraz, added: “Since cocaine works exclusively to modulate autophagy versus other cell death programs, there's a better chance that we can develop new targeted therapeutics to suppress its toxicity.”