[Neuropsychological profile in cocaine addiction: issues about addict's social environment and predictive value of cognitive status in therapeutic outcomes].
OBJECTIVE
This study analyses the neuropsychological profile of a sample of cocaine addicts and compares it with a control group from the same social environment. Also, it explores the predictive power of some neuropsychological tests on treatment outcome six months after the exploration.


METHODS
We administered a neuropsychological battery to 30 patients with a diagnosis of cocaine abuse or cocaine dependence, and to 30 control participants with no history of drug abuse from the same social environment.


RESULTS
Verbal learning (p<0.001), immediate visual memory (p<0.05), attentional resources management (p<0.05), phonologic fluency (p<0.01), abstraction (p<0.001), complex problem-solving (p<0.05) and mental flexibility (p<0.05) are the functions most affected by cocaine use.


CONCLUSIONS
The alterations found in the addict participants were small and non-pathognomonic, though the deficits can be correlated with impact on quality of life and on everyday occupational performance. The neuropsychological exploration showed a certain predictive capacity of abstinence after 6 months (the addict participants with better verbal mnesic performance and greater mental flexibility at the beginning of the treatment seem to benefit more from this). Finally, the results suggest that addicts live in a cognitively poor social environment. It is suggested that drug use increases previous deficits, probably of an educational or environmental origin, that are common to their immediate social context.
Ruiz Sánchez de León
José María
JM
Centro de Prevención del Deterioro Cognitivo, Madrid Salud, Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Madrid.
Pedrero Pérez
Eduardo
E
Llanero Luque
Marcos
M
Rojo Mota
Gloria
G
Olivar Arroyo
Alvaro
A
Bouso Saiz
José Carlos
JC
Puerta García
Carmen
C
D000328:Adult; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012931:Social Environment; D016896:Treatment Outcome