Declarative and Procedural Memory Functioning in Abstinent Cocaine Abusers

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Abstract
DESPITE THE significant public health challenges posed by cocaine abuse, there have been surprisingly few adequately controlled, longitudinal studies investigating the acute, intermediate, and longer-term effects of long-term cocaine use on cognitive functioning. Cognitive sequelae associated with cocaine abuse have been reported on tasks of attention, declarative memory, spatial functions, and psychomotor speed. The evidence for most of these deficits has come from studies that examined subjects when they were in the acute phase of withdrawal and have found generally better performance with increased abstinence.1-8 In many of these studies, however, abstinence was not objectively verified.