TY - JOUR
T1 - Short-term, low-dose varenicline administration enhances information processing speed in methamphetamine-dependent users
AU - Kalechstein, Ari D.
AU - Mahoney, James J.
AU - Verrico, Christopher D.
AU - De La Garza, Richard
PY - 2014/10
Y1 - 2014/10
N2 - Long-term, high-dose methamphetamine (METH) use is associated with decrements in neurocognition and, given the association between impaired neurocognition and poorer treatment outcomes in individuals dependent on alcohol and drugs, it is considered to be a neglected area of critical concern. The objective of this study was to determine whether varenicline, a partial agonist at α4β2- and a full agonist at α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, enhances attention/information processing speed, episodic memory, and working memory in non-treatment seeking METH-dependent participants. Twenty-six participants were randomly assigned to receive oral placebo or oral varenicline (titrated up to 1 mg) over 5 days during three separate inpatient phases, and 17 completed each inpatient phase. Participants were predominately male (71%) and Caucasian (71%). Varenicline significantly improved reaction time on the n-back for visual stimuli (F(1,47) = 5.369, p = 0.025, η2 = 0.103), and a trend was observed for improvement in reaction time for auditory stimuli (F(1,47) = 3.141, p = 0.083, η2 = 0.063). For those study participants whose reaction time was in the lower half of the distribution at baseline, the effect was even more pronounced for auditory (F(1,22) = 5.287, p = 0.031, η2 = 0.194) and visual (F(1,22) = 11.981, p = 0.002, η2 = 0.353) stimuli relative to placebo. In contrast, varenicline did not modulate mean or maximum span of working memory or performance on tests of episodic memory or attention (p's > 0.05). Given the potential importance of this finding, it should be replicated in a larger sample over a longer treatment period with a higher dose of varenicline (2 mg). Trial registration clinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01571167.
AB - Long-term, high-dose methamphetamine (METH) use is associated with decrements in neurocognition and, given the association between impaired neurocognition and poorer treatment outcomes in individuals dependent on alcohol and drugs, it is considered to be a neglected area of critical concern. The objective of this study was to determine whether varenicline, a partial agonist at α4β2- and a full agonist at α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, enhances attention/information processing speed, episodic memory, and working memory in non-treatment seeking METH-dependent participants. Twenty-six participants were randomly assigned to receive oral placebo or oral varenicline (titrated up to 1 mg) over 5 days during three separate inpatient phases, and 17 completed each inpatient phase. Participants were predominately male (71%) and Caucasian (71%). Varenicline significantly improved reaction time on the n-back for visual stimuli (F(1,47) = 5.369, p = 0.025, η2 = 0.103), and a trend was observed for improvement in reaction time for auditory stimuli (F(1,47) = 3.141, p = 0.083, η2 = 0.063). For those study participants whose reaction time was in the lower half of the distribution at baseline, the effect was even more pronounced for auditory (F(1,22) = 5.287, p = 0.031, η2 = 0.194) and visual (F(1,22) = 11.981, p = 0.002, η2 = 0.353) stimuli relative to placebo. In contrast, varenicline did not modulate mean or maximum span of working memory or performance on tests of episodic memory or attention (p's > 0.05). Given the potential importance of this finding, it should be replicated in a larger sample over a longer treatment period with a higher dose of varenicline (2 mg). Trial registration clinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01571167.
KW - Information processing speed
KW - Methamphetamine
KW - Varenicline
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84903822879&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84903822879&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.05.045
DO - 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.05.045
M3 - Article
C2 - 24930359
AN - SCOPUS:84903822879
SN - 0028-3908
VL - 85
SP - 493
EP - 498
JO - Neuropharmacology
JF - Neuropharmacology
ER -