TY - JOUR
T1 - Cognitive Impairments in Abstinent Male Residents of a Therapeutic Community for Substance-Use Disorders
T2 - A Five-Year Retrospective Study
AU - Shlosberg, Dan
AU - Amit, Ben H.
AU - Zalsman, Gil
AU - Krivoy, Amir
AU - Mell, Haim
AU - Lev-Ran, Shaul
AU - Shoval, Gal
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2019/3/21
Y1 - 2019/3/21
N2 - Background and Objectives: Prior studies of residual cognitive deficits in abstinent substance-use disorder (SUD) patients, exhibited conflicting reports and a substantial patient selection bias. The aim of this study was to test the cognitive function of a sample of chronic abstinent SUD patients in a therapeutic-community. Methods: The IntegNeuro TM cognitive test battery was used for a retrospective cross-sectional study of cognitive functioning of an unselected sample (n = 105) of abstinent male residents of a therapeutic-community. The results were compared to a large age-, gender-, and education-matched normative cohort. Results: A significant negative deviance from the normal cohorts' mean was present in most of the cognitive test results and in all the cognitive domains that were tested. The most substantial deficit was found in the executive function domain (d = 1.02, 95%CI (±0.11)). Correct identification of facial emotions was significantly lower selectively in expressions of disgust and sadness. Substance-use starting at an early age (12.4 ± 0.8 years) was associated with lower performance in tests of sustained attention and impulsivity as well as with varied ability to identify correctly “negative” emotions in the emotion identification domain. Conclusions: This 5-year retrospective study demonstrates substantial cognitive impairments in an unselected sample of abstinent SUD patients. Impairment in multiple cognitive domains may lower the probability for remission and successful social integration. Early-age substance initiation may be associated with larger impairments in cognitive performance.
AB - Background and Objectives: Prior studies of residual cognitive deficits in abstinent substance-use disorder (SUD) patients, exhibited conflicting reports and a substantial patient selection bias. The aim of this study was to test the cognitive function of a sample of chronic abstinent SUD patients in a therapeutic-community. Methods: The IntegNeuro TM cognitive test battery was used for a retrospective cross-sectional study of cognitive functioning of an unselected sample (n = 105) of abstinent male residents of a therapeutic-community. The results were compared to a large age-, gender-, and education-matched normative cohort. Results: A significant negative deviance from the normal cohorts' mean was present in most of the cognitive test results and in all the cognitive domains that were tested. The most substantial deficit was found in the executive function domain (d = 1.02, 95%CI (±0.11)). Correct identification of facial emotions was significantly lower selectively in expressions of disgust and sadness. Substance-use starting at an early age (12.4 ± 0.8 years) was associated with lower performance in tests of sustained attention and impulsivity as well as with varied ability to identify correctly “negative” emotions in the emotion identification domain. Conclusions: This 5-year retrospective study demonstrates substantial cognitive impairments in an unselected sample of abstinent SUD patients. Impairment in multiple cognitive domains may lower the probability for remission and successful social integration. Early-age substance initiation may be associated with larger impairments in cognitive performance.
KW - Substance use disorders (SUD)
KW - adolescence
KW - cognitive manifestation
KW - therapeutic community
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85061187592&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10826084.2018.1517800
DO - 10.1080/10826084.2018.1517800
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C2 - 30729882
AN - SCOPUS:85061187592
SN - 1082-6084
VL - 54
SP - 538
EP - 548
JO - Substance Use and Misuse
JF - Substance Use and Misuse
IS - 4
ER -