NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF AMPHETAMINE MAY CORRELATE WITH PERSONALITY-CHARACTERISTICS

Although the stimulant properties of amphetamine are well established, its effects on cognitive test performance in unfatigued normal adults are poorly documented, Seventeen healthy individuals received a singl e oral dose of dextroamphetamine (0.25 mg/kg) in a double-blind, place bo-controlled, crossover study, Neurocognitive tests, motor tests, and behavioral observations were performed, Personality information, base d on the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) was also gathe red to explore a relationship between personality factors and response to the stimulant, With the exception of two measures of reaction time , there were no overall changes in performance on measures of memory o r other cognitive functions, There was decreased reaction time on the continuous performance task (CPT) and increased accuracy of performanc e under minimal delay conditions in the spatial delay response task wh ile subjects were receiving amphetamine, In addition, the novelty-seek ing subscale was found to correlate with a measure of verbal memory, I ndividuals with higher scores on the novelty-seeking scale deteriorate d under amphetamine, while those who had lower scores improved, These results suggest that some cognitive abilities of persons who may have relatively high dopaminergic tone are disrupted by amphetamine, while those with relatively low dopaminergic tone may have their performance enhanced.