title: Cognitive Training through mHealth for Individuals with Substance Use Disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heroin addiction has a negative impact on cognitive functions, and even recovering addicts suffer from cognitive impairment. Recent approaches to cognitive intervention have been taking advantage of what new technologies have to offer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We report a study testing the efficacy of a serious games approach using tablets to stimulate and rehabilitate cognitive functions in recovering addicts.
  
  
  METHODS
  A small-scale cognitive training program with serious games was run with a sample of 14 male heroin addicts undergoing a rehabilitation program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found consistent improvements in cognitive functioning between baseline and follow-up assessments for frontal lobe functions, verbal memory and sustained attention, as well as in some aspects of cognitive flexibility, decision-making and in depression levels. More than two thirds of patients in cognitive training had positive outcomes related to indicators of verbal memory cognitive flexibility, which contrasts to patients not in training, in which only one patient improved between baseline and follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results are promising but still require randomized control trials to determine the efficiency of this approach to cognitive rehabilitation programs for the cognitive recovery of heroin addicts.
authors.affiliation: Pedro Gamito, Lusophone University - School of Psychology and Life Sciences, Campo Grande, 376, Lisbon 1749-024, Portugal, E-mail: pedro.gamito@ulusofona.pt.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gamito
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.forename: Diogo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morais
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caçoete
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leandro
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oliveira
mesh_terms: D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D017216:Telemedicine
keywords: Cognitive training; heroin addiction; virtual reality