title: Distributed attentional deficits in chronic methamphetamine abusers: evidence from the Attentional Network Task (ANT).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of the present study was to examine distributed attentional functions in long-term but currently abstinent methamphetamine (MA) abusers using a task that measures attentional alertness, orienting, and conflict resolution.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty currently abstinent MA abusers (1 month-5 years) and 22 healthy non-substance using adults were administered a multimodal version of the Attentional Network Task (ANT-I). In this task subjects identified the direction of a centrally presented arrow using a key press. Analyses examined the interaction between alerting tones, location cueing and congruency between the target arrows and flanking distractor stimuli.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All participants were faster when an auditory tone preceded the trial onset (p<0.001), on trials in which a valid cue preceded the location of the target arrow (p<0.001), and on congruent trials (i.e., when all display arrows faced in the same direction) (p<0.001). Of primary interest was the finding that MA abusers were more influenced by the conflict between the peripheral arrows and the central target arrow (p=0.009). There were also correlations between length of drug sobriety and executive function as well as between drug-induced psychiatric symptoms and alertness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that chronic MA abusers display cognitive deficits that may reflect a specific vulnerability to distraction on a task of executive function. These findings are consistent with other studies that have reported deficits in anterior attentional systems and top-down cognitive control.
authors: Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA. resalo@ucdavis.edu
authors: Ruth
authors: R
authors: Salo
authors: Shai
authors: S
authors: Gabay
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Fassbender
authors: Avishai
authors: A
authors: Henik
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003463:Cues; D056344:Executive Function / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D008694:Methamphetamine