neuropsychological effects of cocaine addiction with and without alcohol abuse

Previous research has revealed contradicting results when looking at the combined neuropsychological effects of cocaine and alcohol. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of cocaine with and without alcohol use on cognitive measures. It was hypothesized that the combined effects of cocaine and alcohol will compile, allowing for greater deficits than from the effects of cocaine alone. Fifty-four cocaine dependent subjects (C) were selected, 29 of them reported concurrent cocaine and alcohol dependence (CA). Neuropsychological tests revealed significantly lower scores by the C group compared to the CA group on one measure of executive functioning only. There were significantly lower scores by both C and CA groups compared to norms in areas of memory, attention, psychomotor skills, and executive functioning. The present study supports mild impairment of memory and executive functioning measures in cocaine users but does not support a more detrimental effect from alcohol.