Cognitive functions among Saudi patients with methamphetamine and cannabis use disorder

Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is linked to a variety of cognitive and neuropsychiatric deficits. One of the illegal substances that is most frequently abused is cannabis. The general consensus is that both recreational cannabis and methamphetamine use result in a wide spectrum of severe cognitive impairments, although there have been questions raised regarding conclusions derived from published material. The purpose of this work is to describe how cannabis and methamphetamine use disorder affects human cognition in a group of Saudi patients.

A cross-sectional observational study has been done at Erada Complex and Mental Health, Dammam, KSA. The study included three groups: the first group consisted of individuals who have methamphetamine use disorder, the second group included individuals with disorders related to cannabis use disorder, and the third group comprised healthy persons as a control group. The patients' demographic information has been gathered. Urine toxicological testing for cannabis and methamphetamine has been used to evaluate recent drug use. We employed SCID-I [a semi-structured interview to diagnose mental illnesses using the standards set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV)] to rule out other mental illnesses and confirm cannabis and methamphetamine use disorder. At the time of interview, all individuals underwent cognitive evaluations using standardized neuropsychological tests for screening by MoCA, followed by Wechsler Memory Scale and Stroop's test for executive function.

A significant difference could be seen in all aspects of cognitive functions among patients and controls upon application of MoCA, Wechsler Memory Scale, and Stroop tests. On the other hand, there was statistical significance in most of the features among patients with either methamphetamine or cannabis use disorder using the same scales.

Cognitive functions were affected in the studied group of Saudi patients who suffer from cannabis and methamphetamine use disorder compared to the control group, with those who were diagnosed with methamphetamine use disorder having greater effects on cognitive functions than those who were diagnosed with cannabis use disorder.