title: Planning deficits in polysubstance dependent users: Differential associations with severity of drug use and intelligence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Polysubstance use is associated with alterations in different components of executive functioning such as working memory and response inhibition. Nevertheless, less attention has been given to executive planning skills, which are required to benefit of low structured interventions. This study examines the association between severity of use of cocaine, heroin, alcohol, fluid and crystallized intelligence and planning tasks varying on degree of structure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from 60 polysubstance users and 30 healthy controls. Cognitive assessment consisted of three planning tasks with different structure levels: Stockings of Cambridge, Zoo Map test, and Multiple Errands Test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Polysubstance users had significant planning deficits across the three tasks compared to healthy controls. Hierarchical regression models showed that severity of drug use and fluid and crystallized intelligence significantly explained performance in all the planning tasks. However, these associations were higher for low-structured real world tasks. These low-structured tasks also showed a unique association with crystallized but not fluid intelligence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Drug abuse is negatively associated with planning abilities, and intelligence is positively associated with planning performance in real-world tasks.
authors.affiliation: Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Faculty of Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. Electronic address: cvalls@ugr.es.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valls-Serrano
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience F. Olóriz and Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verdejo-García
authors.affiliation: Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Faculty of Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caracuel
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003042:Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D003932:Heroin / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D011581:Psychological Tests; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D003932:Heroin; D003042:Cocaine
keywords: Intelligence; Multiple Errands Test; Multitasking; Planning; Polysubstance users