Low dose, short-term rivastigmine administration does not affect neurocognition in methamphetamine dependent individuals

Neurocognitive impairment is a well-documented consequence of methamphetamine addiction. Not surprising, methamphetamine-associated neurocognitive impairment has been identified as an important target of treatment. Thus, this study sought to determine whether rivastigmine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and cognition enhancing agent, could improve neurocognitive performance in a sample of long-term, high-dose methamphetamine addicts who were not seeking treatment at the time of enrollment in the study. This double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated whether a daily dose 0, 3, or 6 mg of rivastigmine, administered over six consecutive days, would enhance performance on measures of attention/information processing speed, episodic memory, and executive/frontal lobe functioning relative to test performance at baseline. The results revealed that rivastigmine did not alter neurocognition in this cohort. There are a number of factors that may have mitigated the effects of rivastigmine in this particular study, including especially the short-term, low-dose treatment regimen utilized. The negative findings notwithstanding, the study serves as a springboard for future investigations that will examine whether other medications can alter neurocognition in methamphetamine dependent study participants.