NEUROPSYCHOLOGIC FINDINGS IN COCAINE-DEPENDENT OUTPATIENTS

1. Nineteen recently abstinent cocaine-dependent males were compared t o 16 control subjects on a battery of neuropsychological tests. 2. The performance of cocaine-dependent subjects was inferior to the control group on tasks assessing higher level verbal skills, and on a task re quiring logical sequencing of complex visual stimuli. 3. Cocaine users also performed poorly on a delayed visual memory task and on a verbal generation task, but performed better than the control group on a tas k assessing simple visual-motor speed. 4. Possible reasons for these f indings are discussed, as are the treatment implications of these find ings.