title: Frontal systems related symptoms in cocaine dependent patients with comorbid personality disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The co-occurrence of cocaine dependence and personality disorders may contribute to frontal systems-related behavioral symptoms in cocaine users.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to characterize apathy, disinhibition, and dysexecutive symptoms in cocaine users with comorbid personality disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine participants meeting criteria for cocaine dependence and personality disorders, 35 participants meeting criteria for cocaine dependence without comorbidities, and 29 controls matched for age, education, and IQ completed the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe), which provides present and retrospective assessments (of the period preceding cocaine use) about apathy, disinhibition, and dysexecutive symptoms. Additionally, relatives of cocaine patients (34 relatives from comorbid patients and 31 relatives from noncomorbid patients) completed the informant version of the FrSBe. We used one-way ANOVAs to investigate present-moment differences between the groups and related samples t tests to quantify changes between pre-disorder and present-moment symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cocaine users with personality disorders self-reported higher present-moment apathy and disinhibition symptoms than noncomorbid users and controls. Informant ratings showed that comorbid users exhibited pre-disorder elevations in apathy, disinhibition and dysexecutive symptoms, and that these symptoms did not significantly change between the pre-disorder and the present-moment assessments. In contrast, noncomorbid users exhibited increased apathy, disinhibition, and dysexecutive symptoms at present-moment compared with pre-disorder measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The co-occurrence of cocaine dependence and personality disorders is associated with elevated frontal systems-related behavioral symptoms. Comorbid and noncomorbid users differ in frontal symptoms' trajectories, with the former showing pre-disorder stable elevations and the latter showing lower baseline symptoms but greater addiction-related elevations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Albein-Urios
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Martínez-González
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lozano
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verdejo-Garcia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D057565:Apathy / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D012647:Self-Assessment