Alteraciones cognoscitivas en pacientes con drogodependencia institucionalizados en Cuenca - Ecuador

Abstract

In the present study, cognitive functions are evaluated in 30 institutionalized drug-dependent patients, compared to a control group of 30 subjects from the normal population. It is an observational, cross-sectional analytical study. Which had as objective, to identify the characteristics of the cognitive functions of the people with and without drug addiction. To this end, the Neuropsi Neuropsychological Brief in Spanish: Neuropsi was applied, which evaluates different areas of cognition: orientation, memory, language, writing, reading, executive functions, conceptual functions and motor functions. The results were against the differences between the groups. Knowing that the clinical group presents multiple cognitive alterations, and in general a lower performance of the tasks with respect to the control group, which does not present cognitive alterations at all. In the same way the evaluated patients presented a greater number of perseverations and intrusions than the control group, indicating an alteration of the cognitive functions related to the inhibitory brake (executive functions). The results can be established that drug users work cognitively differently from non-drug users. The two groups being different from each other.