A new study assessed differences in neuropsychological functioning in college students who misused prescription stimulants prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), compared to their peers who did not misuse prescription stimulants. Neuropsychological functioning was assessed by validated self-report and objective measures. Participants were 100 individuals who reported misusing prescription stimulants at least once and 198 controls. All participants were undergraduate students aged 18-28 years. Results showed stimulant misusers were more likely to report higher levels of dysfunction in executive cognitive operations, such as planning/organizing, working memory, and inhibition, than non-misusers. These differences were statistically significant, even when controlling for ADHD. The researchers also found a significant, positive correlation between greater lifetime frequency of buying or trading prescription stimulants and self-reported executive dysfunction. Overall, there were few differences between groups on objective measures, after controlling for ADHD.
Take away: Misuse of prescription stimulants may be associated with impaired neuropsychological functioning in college students.