title: Neuropsychological assessment of current and past crack cocaine users.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cognitive changes due to crack cocaine consumption remain unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  For clarification, 55 subjects were assigned to three groups: control group, crack cocaine current users, and ex-users. Participants were submitted to Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and tasks evaluating executive functioning and verbal memory. Mood state was also measured. Intergroup comparisons were carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Control group performance on the MMSE was better than that of users and ex-users. Verbal memory performance for logical memory of users was impaired. Ex-users scored lower on DSST and Trail Making Test (Part B).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chronic crack cocaine use seems to disrupt general cognitive functioning (MMSE), verbal memory, and attentional resources, but findings suggest that some of these effects could be reversed by abstinence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo (SP), Brazil. luciogoliver@usp.br [corrected]
authors.forename: Lúcio Garcia
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: De Oliveira
authors.forename: Lúcia Pereira
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Barroso
authors.forename: Camila Magalhães
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: Zila Van Der Meer
authors.initials: ZV
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Carvalho Ponce
authors.forename: Leonardo José
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Vaz
authors.forename: Solange Aparecida
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Nappo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects*; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D016578:Crack Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012646:Self Administration
chemical_list: D016578:Crack Cocaine