Addiction-induced cognitive impairment, the case of methamphetamine

A documentary research was conducted to determine the relationship between methamphetamine abstinence time and cognitive performance in methamphetamine users. The purpose of this study is to know the existing difference between methamphetamine abstinence time and cognitive performance in a methamphetamine user population. The findings suggest significant differences in cognitive performance in methamphetamine withdrawal users compared to non-users. Particularly, a weakening of the prefrontal regions in charge of executive functions and a memory deficit correlated with dopamine deficits were observed. As for the altered functions, despite the heterogeneity of the results, we see that there is a low performance in inhibitory control, speed of execution and information processing. In addition to these deficits, there is also a problem in impulse control and social cognition.