Journal Article

Is Cognitive Functioning Impaired in Methamphetamine Users? A Critical Review

Hart, Carl L, Marvin, Caroline B, Silver, Rae, Smith, Edward E

2012

Overview

The prevailing view is that recreational methamphetamine use causes a broad range of severe cognitive deficits, despite the fact that concerns have been raised about interpretations drawn from the published literature. This article addresses an important gap in our knowledge by providing a critical review of findings from recent research investigating the impact of recreational methamphetamine use on human cognition. Included in the discussion are findings from studies that have assessed the acute and long-term effects of methamphetamine on several domains of cognition, including visuospatial perception, attention, inhibition, working memory, long-term memory, and learning. In addition, relevant neuroimaging data are reviewed in an effort to better understand neural mechanisms underlying methamphetamine-related effects on cognitive functioning. In general, the data on acute effects show that methamphetamine improves cognitive performance in selected domains, that is, visuospatial perception, attention, and inhibition. Regarding long-term effects on cognitive performance and brain-imaging measures, statistically significant differences between methamphetamine users and control participants have been observed on a minority of measures. More importantly, however, the clinical significance of these findings may be limited because cognitive functioning overwhelmingly falls within the normal range when compared against normative data. In spite of these observations, there seems to be a propensity to interpret any cognitive and/or brain difference(s) as a clinically significant abnormality. The implications of this situation are multiple, with consequences for scientific research, substance-abuse treatment, and public policy.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: Amphetamine-Related Disorders - psychology / Amphetamines / Attention - drug effects / Bans / Biological and medical sciences / Cognition & reasoning / Cognition - drug effects / Cognition Disorders - chemically induced / Dental caries / Drug abuse / Humans / Medical sciences / Memory, Long-Term - drug effects / Methamphetamine / Methamphetamine - administration & dosage / Methamphetamine - adverse effects / Neuropharmacology / Pharmacology. Drug treatments / Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer / Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease) / Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry / Psychopharmacology / Recipes / Review / Surgeons