Neuropsychological Assessment of Current and Past Crack Cocaine Users

Background: Cognitive changes due to crack cocaine consumption remain unclear Methods: for clarification, 55 subjects were assigned to three groups: control group, crack cocaine current users, and ex-users. Participants were submitted to Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and tasks evaluating executive functioning and verbal memory Mood state was also measured. Intergroup comparisons were carried out. Results: Control group performance on the MMSE was better than that of users and ex-users. Verbal memory performance for logical memory of users was impaired. Ex-users scored lower on DSST and Trail Making Test (Part B). Conclusion: Chronic crack cocaine use seems to disrupt general cognitive functioning (MMSE), verbal memory, and attentional resources, but findings suggest that some of these effects could be reversed by abstinence.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Psychopharmacology Incentive Fund Association (AFIP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Univ São Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Psychiat, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Dept Stat, São Paulo, BrazilCtr Informat Hlth & Alcohol CISA, São Paulo, BrazilBrazilian Ctr Informat Psychotrop Drugs CEBRID, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychobiol, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: Process 04/07153-8Web of Scienc