Comparison of Continuous Performance Test results between subjects dependent on methamphetamine and healthy volunteers
Abstrakt
Methamphetamine is a neurotoxic agent. Its chronic abuse may result in cognitive impairment with negative consequences for patients' treatment and rehabilitation.
The aim of the study was to compare Continuous Performance Test (CPT) profiles of subjects dependent on methamphetamine with healthy individuals. Forty-five hospitalized patients including twenty-nine men at the average age of 25.3+-5.4 years dependent on methamphetamine for 6.0+-3.3 years were assessed by the Continuous Performance Test.
We used the same neurocognitive test for the comparison group of healthy controls (controls N=118, men N=50, average age of 28.1+-7.2 years). We applied the Chi-Square Test, Two-Sample T Test, Mann-Whitney U Test and Kolmogorov- Smirnov Test to compare methamphetamine dependent patients with healthy volunteers.
In the Continuous Performance Test, general T scores of commissions were significantly higher (p=0.02; Mann-Whitney U Test), but general T scores of hit reaction time (p{0.001; Mann-Whitney U Test), speed/accuracy scores (p=0.04; Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test) and erratic reaction time scores (p=0.04; Mann-Whitney U Test) were significantly lower in the patients as compared to healthy controls. We ascertained a significant cognitive deterioration in the patients as compared to healthy volunteers even if the average patients' achievements were within the normal range according to the test norms.
A cognitive impairment was present in the group of patients as compared to healthy controls. Better understanding of neurocognitive impairments in methamphetamine dependent subjects should help to generate modern therapeutic approaches, both pharmacological and psychosocial, to prevent or attenuate the long-term negative consequences of methamphetamine use disorders.