ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Addictive Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1604252
Individuals recently abstinent from methamphetamine show selective cognitive and behavioral differences when compared to age-matched controls
Provisionally accepted
M Frances Vest1,2
Alexandru Mihai Dumitrescu1,2Matthew W Johnson3Elliot Thompson2,4Alfred Thomas4James C Patterson1,2,5
Kevin Murnane1,2,5*- 1Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience, Louisiana State University Health Shreveport, Shreveport, United States
- 2Louisiana Addiction Research Center, Louisiana State University Health Science Center Shreveport, Shreveport, United States
- 3Sheppard Pratt Health System, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- 4Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Shreveport, Shreveport, United States
- 5Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Science Center Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
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Introduction: Substance use disorders are often associated with impairments in cognitive and behavioral processes. Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD), in particular, has been linked to such differences, though it remains unclear whether response inhibition (the inability to withhold prepotent responses), risk taking, or other constructs play more prominent roles. Understanding the specific contributions of these constructs is essential for tailoring interventions and improving outcomes for individuals with MUD. This study aimed to investigate both subdomains of impulsivity in individuals recently abstinent from methamphetamine.Methods: Participants with MUD (n=29) recruited from 30-day residential treatment programs and age-matched controls (n =27) completed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) to assess risk taking and delay sensitivity, and the Stroop Color and Word Task (SCWT) and Stop Signal Task (SST) to assess response inhibition. Two-way multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs) were performed to determine group differences.Results: Analyses revealed no significant group differences in IGT net score (p=0.62) and BART average pumps (p=0.45). Conversely, significant differences emerged in as evidenced by longer stop signal reaction times (p < 0.01) and lower SCWT accuracy (p=0.03) in the MUD group compared to age-matched controls.Discussion: These findings suggest that methamphetamine use disorder is associated with specific cognitive and behavioral abnormalities. Targeting these constructs in treatment may improve outcomes for individuals recovering from MUD.
Keywords: Methamphetamine1, response inhibition2, risk taking3, addiction4, Cognition5
Received: 01 Apr 2025; Accepted: 10 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Vest, Dumitrescu, Johnson, Thompson, Thomas, Patterson and Murnane. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kevin Murnane, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience, Louisiana State University Health Shreveport, Shreveport, United States
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