Browsing by Author "Johnson, Matthew W."
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item A randomized controlled trial of the effects of working memory training in methadone maintenance patients(Elsevier, 2015-08-24) Rass, Olga; Schacht, Rebecca L.; Buckheit, Katherine; Johnson, Matthew W.; Strain, Eric C.; Mintzer, Miriam Z.Objective Working memory impairment in individuals with chronic opioid dependence can play a major role in cognitive and treatment outcomes. Cognitive training targeting working memory shows promise for improved function in substance use disorders. To date, cognitive training has not been incorporated as an adjunctive treatment for opioid dependence. Methods Methadone maintenance patients were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 28) or active control (n = 28) 25-session computerized training and run in parallel. Cognitive and drug use outcomes were assessed before and after training. Results Participants in the experimental condition showed performance improvements on two of four working memory measures, and both groups improved on a third measure of working memory performance. Less frequent drug use was found in the experimental group than in the control group post-training. In contrast to previous findings with stimulant users, no significant effect of working memory training on delay discounting was found using either hypothetical or real rewards. There were no group differences on working memory outcome measures that were dissimilar from the training tasks, suggesting that another mechanism (e.g., increased distress tolerance) may have driven drug use results. Conclusions Working memory training improves performance on some measures of working memory in methadone maintenance patients, and may impact drug use outcomes. Working memory training shows promise in patients with substance use disorders; however, further research is needed to understand the mechanisms through which performance is improved and drug use outcomes are impacted.Item Working Memory Training for Adolescents With Cannabis Use Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial(Taylor & Francis, 2018-04-10) Sweeney, Mary M.; Rass, Olga; DiClemente, Cara; Schacht, Rebecca L.; Vo, Hoa T.; Fishman, Marc J.; Leoutsakos, Jeannie-Marie S.; Mintzer, Miriam Z.; Johnson, Matthew W.Adolescent cannabis use is associated with working memory impairment. The present randomized controlled trial assigned adolescents ages 14 to 21 enrolled in cannabis use treatment to receive either working memory training (experimental group) or a control training (control group) as an adjunctive treatment. Cognitive function, drug use, and other outcomes were assessed before and after training. We observed few differences in cognitive, functional, or self-reported drug use outcomes as a function of training group, although tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) urinalysis results favored the experimental group. These findings are similar to previous studies in substance users, which have shown limited transfer effects for working memory training.