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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

A General Method for Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation Effects on Intravenous Methamphetamine Self-Administration
Published on: January 22, 2016
A dissociation in attentional control: evidence from methamphetamine dependence
Ruth Salo1, Thomas E Nordahl, Charles Moore
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Imaging Research Center, University of California-Davis 95817, USA. resalo@ucdavis.edu
Background:
Selective attention comprises multiple, dissociable component processes, including task shifting and selective inhibition. The goal of this study was to test whether task-shifting, selective inhibition, or both processes were impaired in long-term but currently abstinent methamphetamine-dependent individuals.
Methods:
Participants were 34 methamphetamine-dependent subjects and 20 nonsubstance abusing controls who were tested on an alternating-runs switch task with conflict sequences that required subjects to switch tasks on every second trial (AABBAABB).
Results:
Methamphetamine-dependent individuals committed more errors on trials that required inhibition of distracting information compared with controls (methamphetamine = 17%; controls = 13%; p = .02). By contrast, error rates did not differ between the groups on switch trials (methamphetamine = 7%; controls = 6%; p = .68).
Conclusions:
These results indicate that selective inhibition, but not task switching, is selectively compromised by methamphetamine.
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