Table 4. Studies that have Included Neuropsychological Test Batteries Only.
| Investigators | Domain tested | Participants | Period of abstinence | Cognitive findings | Caveats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry et al (2009) | Facial affect recognition (Pictures of Facial Affect); Theory of mind (Mind in the Eyes test); Executive functioning (Verbal fluency test: FAS, Hayling Sentence Completion Test); Learning/memory (AVLT) | MA users met the DSM-IV criteria for MA dependence (currently in treatment): N=20 Controls: N=20 These are the same participants as those in Rendell et al (2009) | Mean: 5.9±1.41 months | ↓ Facial affect recognition ↓ Theory of mind ↓ Executive function (1 out of 2 tests) ↓ Learning/memory ↔ Delayed recall | Cognitive data not compared against normative data set. Thus, the clinical importance of findings could not be determined The influence of drug use other than MA not controlled MA-dependent participants tested on an in-patient basis, while controls tested on an outpatient basis Small number of participants studied |
| Hoffman et al (2006) | Visuospatial perception (Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure Test); Visual memory (Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure Test); Immediate and long-term memory (Babcock Story Recall); Learning/memory (AVLT); Attention/psychomotor function (TMT-A, Stroop, Grooved pegboard); Response inhibition (Stroop); Set-shifting/executive function (WCST, TMT-B); IQ (Shipley Vocabulary) | MA users met the DSM-IV criteria for MA dependence (currently in treatment): N=41 Controls: N=41 | Mean: 6.52±6.30 months | ↓ Long-term memory ↓ Learning/memory ↔ Visuospatial perception ↔ Visual memory ↔ Immediate memory ↔ Attention/psychomotor function ↔ Response inhibition ↔ Set-shifting/executive function ↔ IQ | Controls had higher levels of education than MA users Cognitive data not compared against normative data set. Thus, the clinical importance of findings could not be determined The influence of drug use other than MA not controlled |
| Kalechstein et al (2003) | Attention/psychomotor function (TMT-A, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, Stroop Color); Visuospatial perception (Rey Complex Figure Task—copy subtest); Learning/memory (AVLT, WMS-III Logical Memory; Rey Complex Figure Test—delayed recall); Working memory (Letter-Number Sequencing and Visual Memory Span—backwards subtests of WMS-III); Response inhibition (Stroop); Set-shifting/executive function (TMT-B, Controlled Oral Word Association, Ruff Figural Fluency Test) | MA users met the DSM-IV criteria for MA dependence: N=27 Controls: N=18 | Current users (provided negative urine sample on the day of testing) | ↓ Learning/memory (3 out of 4 tests) ↓ Verbal fluency ↔ Attention/psychomotor function (2 out of 3 tests) ↔ Visuospatial perception ↔ Working memory ↔ Response inhibition ↔ Set-shifting/executive function | The influence of drug use other than MA not controlled Small number of participants studied |
| Rendell et al (2009) | Prospective memory (Virtual Week task); Executive function (Verbal fluency test: FAS, Hayling Sentence Completion Test); Learning/memory (AVLT); Working memory (Digits forward and backward) | MA users met the DSM-IV criteria for MA dependence (currently in treatment): N=20 Controls: N=20 These are the same participants as those in Henry et al (2009) | Mean 5.90±1.41 months | ↓ Executive function ↓ Retrospective memory ↓ Prospective memory ↓ Working memory | Cognitive data not compared against normative data set. Thus, the clinical importance of findings could not be determined The influence of drug use other than MA not controlled MA-dependent participants tested on an in-patient basis, while controls tested on an outpatient basis Small number of participants studied |
| Simon et al (2000) | Attention/psychomotor function (TMT-A, Digit Symbol, Stroop); Immediate Memory (word-recall and recognition; picture-recall and recognition); Response inhibition (Stroop); Set-shifting/executive function (WCST, TMT-B, Verbal fluency test: FAS); Working memory (Digits backward); IQ (Shipley–Hartford Vocabulary and Abstract Thinking) | Current MA users: N=65; no information reported about whether participants met the DSM-IV criteria for an MA-use disorder Controls: N=65 | MA group was required to submit urine positive for MA, but negative for all other drugs on the day of testing | ↓ Immediate memory (word- and picture-recall) ↓ Response inhibition ↓ IQ (1 out of 2 tests: Abstract Thinking) ↔ Immediate memory (word and picture recognition) ↔ Attention/psychomotor function (2 out of 3 tests) ↔Set-shifting/executive function (2 out of 3 tests) ↔ Working memory | Cognitive data not compared against normative data set. Thus, the clinical importance of findings could not be determined The influence of drug use other than MA not controlled The influence of comorbid psychiatric disorders such as ADHD and depression not controlled |
| Simon et al (2002) | Same as above | MA users met the DSM-IV criteria for MA-use disorder: N=40 Controls: N=40 | MA group was required to submit urine positive for MA, but negative for all other drugs on the day of testing | ↓ Attention/psychomotor function (2 out of 3 tests) ↓ Response inhibition ↓ Set-shifting/executive function (2 out of 3 tests) ↓ IQ ↔ Immediate memory (3 out of 4 tests) ↔ Working memory | Cognitive data not compared against normative data set. Thus, the clinical importance of findings could not be determined The influence of drug use other than MA not controlled The influence of comorbid psychiatric disorders such as ADHD and depression not controlled Participants in the two groups received differential payments: the MA groups received a $50 merchandise voucher and controls received $25 cash |
| Simon et al (2010) | Learning/immediate memory (Selective reminding test, word-recall and recognition; picture-recall and recognition); Attention/psychomotor function (TMT-A, Stroop); Response inhibition (Stroop); Set-shifting/executive function (WCST, TMT-B, Verbal fluency test: FAS, Discrimination learning test, Logical problem test); Working memory (Digits backward, Sentence span test, Missing digit span test); IQ (Shipley–Hartford Vocabulary and Abstract Thinking) | MA users met the DSM-IV criteria for MA dependence: Early abstinent: N=27 Controls: N=28 Long abstinent (subsample of early abstinent): N=18 Controls: N=21 | Average duration at the first day of testing: 6.19±1.47 days Average duration at follow-up: 25.44±3.20 days | ↓ Attention/psychomotor function (1 out of 2 tests: Stroop colors, first test only) ↔ Learning/immediate memory ↔ Response inhibition ↔ Set-shifting/executive function (2 out of 3 tests) ↔ IQ ↔ Working memory | Controls had higher levels of education Most cognitive data not compared against normative data set. Thus, the clinical importance of findings could not be determined. On the test for which there was such a comparison (WCST), MA participants performed in the average range The influence of drug use other than MA not controlled MA-dependent participants tested on an in-patient basis, while controls tested on an outpatient basis Small number of participants studied |
Abbreviations: ADHD, attention-deficit hyperactive disorder; AVLT, Rey auditory verbal learning test; DSM-IV, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition; MA, methamphetamine; TMT-A, Trail making test, part A; TMT-B, Trail making test, part B; WCST, Wisconsin card sorting test; WMS-III, Wechsler memory scale-III.
Cognitive performance: ↓, MA users performed more poorly than controls; ↔, MA users and controls performed equally.