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A General Method for Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation Effects on Intravenous Methamphetamine Self-Administration

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Published on: January 22, 2016

Is cognitive functioning impaired in methamphetamine users? A critical review.

Carl L Hart¹, Caroline B Marvin, Rae Silver

¹Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. clh42@columbia.edu

Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology

|November 18, 2011

Summary

Recreational methamphetamine use may not cause severe long-term cognitive deficits as commonly believed. While acute use can enhance some cognitive functions, long-term effects often fall within normal ranges, questioning clinical significance.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychology

Background:

Prevailing view: recreational methamphetamine use causes severe cognitive deficits.
Concerns exist regarding interpretations of published literature.
Gap in knowledge on the true impact of recreational methamphetamine on human cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

Critically review recent research on recreational methamphetamine's effects on human cognition.
Assess acute and long-term cognitive impacts.
Examine neuroimaging data for underlying neural mechanisms.

Main Methods:

Literature review of studies on recreational methamphetamine users and controls.
Analysis of cognitive domains: visuospatial perception, attention, inhibition, memory, learning.
Review of neuroimaging data.

Main Results:

Acute methamphetamine use shows improved performance in visuospatial perception, attention, and inhibition.
Long-term effects: statistically significant differences found in a minority of measures.
Most cognitive functioning in users falls within the normal range compared to normative data.

Conclusions:

The clinical significance of observed long-term cognitive differences is questionable.
Propensity to interpret minor differences as clinically significant abnormalities exists.
Implications for scientific research, substance-abuse treatment, and public policy need consideration.