Table 2
Source publication
It is not clear how the deleterious effects of amphetamines on driving performance are mediated in terms of select cognitive processes.
The current three separate experiments assessed the acute effects of an oral dose of either 0.42-mg/kg d-amphetamine, d,l-methamphetamine and d-methamphetamine on driving-related cognitive functions in a total of 6...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... of results for all main effects and interaction for the cognitive tasks, including means and standard errors, are Note that N=20, except where denoted by an ' a ' (where N=19) and that 'drug use' refers to the number of occasions the specific drug was consumed in a year given in Table 2. Results for all post hoc tests are given in the text below. ...
Context 2
... of results for all main effects and interaction for the cognitive tasks, including means and standard errors, are Note that N=20, except where denoted by an ' a ' (where N=19) and that 'drug use' refers to the number of occasions the specific drug was consumed in a year given in Table 2. Results for all post hoc tests are given in the text below. The number of outliers excluded from analyses can be determined by the degrees of freedom reported in Table 2. Note that 1) All p-values for main effects of treatment exceeding 0.10 are shown as NS (not significant) and the arrows indicate improvement (↑) and impairment (↓) relative to placebo condition. ...
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Citations
... This enhanced projection of dopamine from the VTA to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) subsequently increases GABA release to the substantia nigra (SN; Sirinathsinghji et al., 1988), resulting in the disinhibition of thalamocortical glutamatergic pathways, and ultimately increased cortical glutamate ( Figure 6; Hsieh et al., 2014;Mark et al., 2004). Furthermore, on the mesocortical pathway, increased dopamine projection from the VTA leads to increased glutamate release in the cortex via D 1 receptors (Silber et al., 2006). ...
Background
To elucidate the neurobiology underlying alcohol's effect on the human brain, we examined the acute effects of moderate alcohol administration on levels of glutamatergic neurometabolites and N‐acetylaspartate, an amino acid found in neurons, may reflect disordered neuronal integrity.
Methods
Eighteen healthy Japanese participants (7 males/11 females) aged 20–30 years who were heterozygous for an inactive allele of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase‐2 (ALDH/*1/*2) were included. Participants underwent an intravenous alcohol infusion using the clamp method at a target blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.50 mg/mL for 90 min within a range of ±0.05 mg/mL. We examined glutamate + glutamine (Glx) and N‐acetylaspartate N‐acetylaspartylglutamate (NAA) levels in the midcingulate cortex (MCC) using 3 T ¹H‐MRS PRESS at baseline, 90 min, and 180 min (i.e., 90 min after alcohol infusion was finished). A two‐way repeated‐measures analysis of variance was used to assess longitudinal changes in Glx and NAA levels, with time and sex as within‐ and between‐subject factors, respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated among neurometabolite levels and BAC or blood acetaldehyde concentration (BAAC).
Results
Both Glx (F(2,32) = 8.15, p = 0.004, η² = 0.15) and NAA (F(2,32) = 5.01, p = 0.04, η² = 0.07) levels were increased after alcohol injection. There were no sex or time × sex interaction effects observed. NAA levels were positively correlated with BAAC at 90 min (r(13) = 0.77, p = 0.01). There were no associations between neurometabolite levels and BAC.
Conclusions
Both Glx and NAA levels in the MCC increased in response to the administration of moderate concentrations of alcohol. Given positive associations between NAA levels and BAAC and the hypothetical glutamate release via dopamine pathways, the effects of drinking on the MCC in the acute phase may be ascribed to acetaldehyde metabolized from alcohol.
... En el estudio de los efectos de las sustancias psicoactivas durante la intoxicación, se reporta que dosis menores de 2 miligramos (mg) de metanfetamina producen una mayor velocidad de respuesta y mayor precisión al responder a estímulos en general, en comparación con controles que recibieron placebo (Johnson et al., 2005;Mohs et al., 1978;Silber et al., 2006). Además, con estas mismas dosis y en una población similar, se ha encontrado un mayor porcentaje de respuestas correctas y un menor tiempo de respuesta para seleccionar estímulos específicos (Johnson et al., 2005). ...
... Los estudios con administración de dosis menores a 2 mg de metanfetamina han encontrado una mayor velocidad en habilidades psicomotoras, la cual se relaciona con alerta tónica, y también una mejora en la velocidad y la precisión de respuestas correctas en tareas de atención selectiva (Johnson et al., 2005, Mohs et al., 1978Silber et al., 2006). Esta dosis controlada que se le administró a los participantes difiere con las dosis que se autoadministran los poliusuarios habituales, que van desde 0.5 gramos a 2 gramos diarios (Cruickshank y Dyer, 2009 Los estudios con dosis controlada de marihuana han encontrado que la inhalación de 6 mg produce mayores errores en tareas de atención selectiva, en comparación con controles que recibieron placebos (Bossong et al., 2013;O'Leary et al., 2002). ...
... Sin embargo, en el presente estudio, al emplear diversas tareas neuropsicológicas, revela que esto no es debido a una afectación en la atención selectiva de los poliusuarios de metanfetamina y marihuana, sino a una afectación en la alerta tónica, que se hace presente cuando la actividad requiere de una respuesta no habitual. Esto fue encontrado en poliusuarios de metanfetamina y marihuana después de tres meses de abstinencia, por lo tanto, contrasta con lo que se observa durante la intoxicación por metanfetamina, en la que estudios han encontrado que la velocidad de respuesta aumenta (Johnson et al., 2005, Mohs et al., 1978Silber et al., 2006). ...
La intoxicación por metanfetamina produce un aumento en el nivel de alerta de las
personas, mientras que, la intoxicación por marihuana produce que las personas
requieran más tiempo para responder al ambiente. Sin embargo, se desconoce si el
poliuso de metanfetamina y marihuana produce efectos sobre la atención y las
funciones ejecutivas cuando las personas están en abstinencia. Por lo tanto, el
objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar los componentes de la atención, además
de la inhibición y la flexibilidad cognoscitivas en poliusuarios de metanfetamina y
marihuana durante la abstinencia de sustancias. Participaron 42 jóvenes, que fueron
distribuidos en tres grupos: El grupo de poliusuarios con promedio de tres meses de
abstinencia (GP: n = 14, edad: 19.95 ± 1.96, años escolares completados: 9.29 ±
1.84), el grupo de no usuarios apareado por edad y escolaridad (GNAEE: n = 14,
edad: 19.22 ± 1.41 años, educación: 9.92 ± 1.41 años escolares completados) y el
grupo de no usuarios apareado por edad, pero con escolaridad esperada para su
edad (GNAE: n = 14, edad: 19.96 ± 2.06 años, educación: 13.32 ± 2.01 años
escolares completados). Para evaluar los componentes de la atención se empleó una
versión modificada de la tarea de ejecución continua. Para evaluar la inhibición y la
flexibilidad cognoscitivas el WCST y la tarea Stroop modificada. Los resultados
mostraron que los poliusuarios de sustancias presentan la misma efectividad, pero
mayor latencia de respuesta en los indicadores de alerta tónica, alerta fasica y
selectiva, en comparación con los grupos control. En cuanto a los indicadores de
inhibición y flexibilidad cognoscitivas, los poliusuarios de sustancias requieren más
tiempo para detener respuestas prevalecientes y para alternar entre estrategias, en
comparación con los controles. Esto indica que los poliusuarios presentan una
afectación en la alerta tónica, a pesar de tener tres meses abstinencia.
Palabras clave: Poliusuarios, Funciones Ejecutivas, Atención, Metanfetamina,
Marihuana.
... Inconsistent results have been found for amphetamine on working memory (WM) [5,13-19] and executive function or performance speed [6,13,18,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Studies that examined the WM effects of amphetamine used various types of spatial tasks [5,6,16,17,19,22,[27][28][29] and limited types of verbal tasks [14,15,18,25,30,31]. ...
... The lack of association between change in PLE and change in VWM might suggest that dexamphetamine, at the given doses, does not have direct or indirect influence on VWM in DST. Almost all of the studies that assessed the direct VWM effect of dexamphetamine failed to see any significant influence [5, [13][14][15]22,31]. The selective effect of dexamphetamine on SWM might be because of dopamine-induced increases in spatial memory (or promotes spatial memory persistence) in the hippocampus [103-105] and PFC [67,106]. ...
... The present result also showed that d-amphetamine does not affect VWM on the DST under four delay conditions, which is in agreement with previous studies that used backward DST, forward DST or both to assess VWM [5, [13][14][15]22,31]. One study that used backward and forward DST reported that d-amphetamine (10 and 20 mg) enhances VWM [18]. ...
Unlabelled:
Studies that examined the effect of amphetamine or caffeine on spatial working memory (SWM) and verbal working memory (VWM) have used various tasks. However, there are no studies that have used spatial span tasks (SSTs) to assess the SWM effect of amphetamine and caffeine, although some studies have used digit span tasks (DST) to assess VWM. Previous reports also showed that increasing dopamine increases psychosis-like experiences (PLE, or schizotypy) scores which are in turn negatively associated with WM performance in people with high schizotypy and people with schizophrenia. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the influence of d-amphetamine (0.45 mg/kg, PO), a dopamine releasing stimulant, on SST, DST, and on PLE in healthy volunteers. In a separate study, we examined the effect of caffeine, a nonspecific adenosine receptor antagonist with stimulant properties, on similar tasks.
Methods:
Healthy participants (N = 40) took part in two randomized, double-blind, counter-balanced placebo-controlled cross-over pilot studies: The first group (N = 20) with d-amphetamine (0.45 mg/kg, PO) and the second group (N = 20) with caffeine (200 mg, PO). Spatial span and digit span were examined under four delay conditions (0, 2, 4, 8 s). PLE were assessed using several scales measuring various aspects of psychosis and schizotypy.
Results:
We failed to find an effect of d-amphetamine or caffeine on SWM or VWM, relative to placebo. However, d-amphetamine increased a composite score of psychosis-like experiences (p = 0.0005), specifically: Scores on Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Perceptual Aberrations Scale, and Magical Ideation Scale were increased following d-amphetamine. The degree of change in PLE following d-amphetamine negatively and significantly correlated with changes in SWM, mainly at the longest delay condition of 8 s (r = -0.58, p = 0.006).
Conclusion:
The present results showed that moderate-high dose of d-amphetamine and moderate dose of caffeine do not directly affect performances on DST or SST. However, the results indicate that d-amphetamine indirectly influences SWM, through its effect on psychosis-like experiences.
Clinical trial registration number:
CT-2018-CTN-02561 (Therapeutic Goods Administration Clinical Trial Registry) and ACTRN12618001292268 (The Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry) for caffeine study, and ACTRN12608000610336 for d-amphetamine study.
... Previous research has found that methamphetamine produced isolated improvement in psychomotor response speed during a working memory task and improved time-on-task performance proportionate to expected pharmacodynamic properties (Cruickshank and Dyer, 2009). Low-moderate doses of amphetamine-type stimulants improve select sustained attention and vigilance (Silber et al., 2006) and reduce psychomotor speed/ response time (Narayan et al., 2021); however, some studies cite a lack of effect (Ermakova et al., 2014) or else note that these beneficial effects appear to dissipate when higher doses are consumed, particularly in tasks of complex higher-order functioning (inverted-U; Dolder et al., 2018;Naylor et al., 1985). Long-term or heavy patterns of use are also associated with enduring cognitive change, which may reflect alterations in brain morphology even in the absence of acute intoxication (Volkow et al., 2001). ...
... To date, only two studies have implemented a comparable combined methamphetamine and alcoholdosing paradigm (Mendelson et al., 1995;Kirkpatrick et al., 2012a), each having yielded a much smaller evaluable sample than examined here. We overcame some key limitations of previous research by ensuring a non-smoking paradigm (Kirkpatrick et al., 2012a) and by mirroring weighted doses of treatment(s) used in previous behavioural studies of methamphetamine (Silber et al., 2006). As an acute dosing paradigm was used, we are unable to comment on the potential interactive effects of these substances as they may be replicated under repeated and/or chronic dosing schedules or following delayed intake. ...
Background:
Methamphetamine is often recreationally co-consumed with alcohol due to desirable off-target effects; however, the acute neurocognitive and subjective consequences of combined use are unclear.
Methods:
In a randomised, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced, cross-over study design, the effects of acute oral methamphetamine (0.42 mg/kg) were assessed with and without low doses of alcohol (target 0.04% blood-alcohol concentration, BAC) on subjective intoxication, alertness, physiological outcomes and neurocognition during the ascending and descending phases of the BAC curve. Sixteen healthy adults (mean age = 30.4 years, SD ± 4.4, 67% male) completed four experimental sessions over 4 weeks involving a one-week washout period.
Results:
Cardiovascular measures [heart rate (beats/minute), blood pressure (mmHg)] were predictably elevated following methamphetamine, but unaffected by combined alcohol use. Methamphetamine and alcohol produce divergent effects on subjective alertness and sedation across time, yet their combination produced predominantly sustained stimulative effects independent of the biphasic alcohol curve. At a peak BAC of 0.029%, alcohol alone impaired performance across most functional neurocognitive domains relative to placebo and methamphetamine only, and the addition of methamphetamine attenuated these effects. Methamphetamine alone produced isolated improvement in psychomotor speed consistent with peak drug effects.
Conclusion:
Methamphetamine combined with alcohol does not substantially alter the physiological or metabolic profile compared to either drug alone. Strong stimulative effects of methamphetamine appear to mask the biphasic sedative and performance effects of low doses of alcohol, which may underlie motivations for co-consumption in recreational settings and increase propensity for harm.
... Moreover, methylone improved psychomotor performance by reducing reaction time. This improvement has also been documented with amphetamine administration (Silber et al., 2006), although there is no clear evidence for MDMA (Camí et al., 2000;Farré et al., 2004;Ramaekers and Kuypers, 2006;Kuypers et al., 2007). Combined with alcohol, mephedrone could reduce the reaction time when compared with that of alcohol alone by mitigating the sedative effects of alcohol. ...
Methylone is one of the most common synthetic cathinones popularized as a substitute for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, midomafetamine) owing to its similar effects among users. Both psychostimulants exhibit similar chemistry (i.e., methylone is a β-keto analog of MDMA) and mechanisms of action. Currently, the pharmacology of methylone remains scarcely explored in humans. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the acute pharmacological effects of methylone and its abuse potential in humans when compared with that of MDMA following oral administration under controlled conditions. Seventeen participants of both sexes (14 males, 3 females) with a previous history of psychostimulant use completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial. Participants received a single oral dose of 200 mg of methylone, 100 mg of MDMA, and a placebo. The variables included physiological effects (blood pressure, heart rate, oral temperature, pupil diameter), subjective effects using visual analog scales (VAS), the short form of the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI), the Evaluation of Subjective Effects of Substances with Abuse Potential questionnaire (VESSPA-SSE), and the Sensitivity to Drug Reinforcement Questionnaire (SDRQ), and psychomotor performance (Maddox wing, psychomotor vigilance task). We observed that methylone could significantly increase blood pressure and heart rate and induce pleasurable effects, such as stimulation, euphoria, wellbeing, enhanced empathy, and altered perception. Methylone exhibited an effect profile similar to MDMA, with a faster overall onset and earlier disappearance of subjective effects. These results suggest that abuse potential of methylone is comparable to that of MDMA in humans. Clinical Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05488171; Identifier: NCT05488171.
... Overall, 37 independent studies that used heterogeneous methodologies were included in the current review ( Figure 1). The effects of AMP on other cognitive functions are inconsistent (Listed in Tables 2 and 3 (Table 2) (Comer et al., 1996;de Wit et al., 2002;Dolder et al., 2018;Hamidovic et al., 2010b;Kelly et al., 2021;Makris et al., 2007;Mintzer & Griffiths, 2003;Patat et al., 1996;Pickworth et al., 1997;Schmedtje et al., 1988;Silber et al., 2006;Stoops et al., 2007;Ward et al., 1997b;Wardle et al., 2013). Although DSST primarily measures information processing or psychomotor speed (Joy et al., 2004), it has been used to measure wide varieties of cognitive functions including complex attention, executive functioning, visuoperceptual functions, and executive function component of WM (Jaeger, 2018). ...
... Studies of the effect of AMP on DSST performance had mixed findings. Six studies that used DSST to assess information processing or psychomotor speed reported that AMP enhances performance: five found main effects of AMP (Hamidovic et al., 2010b;Mintzer & Griffiths, 2003;Silber et al., 2006;Ward et al., 1997b;Wardle et al., 2013) and one reported no main effects of dexamphetamine on DSST, but there was an interactional effect of drug (10 and 20 mg of dexamphetamine) and time (de Wit et al., 2002). T A B L E 1 Results for the main effect of dexamphetamine on working memory scores during verbal (VWM) and spatial (SWM) WM tasks after treatments with oral doses of drug or placebo Fleming et al., 1995;Krystal et al., 2005;Patat et al., 1996) but only two of them found main effects of AMP. ...
... Although it was expected that AMP improves or facilitates cognitive performances because of its dopamine releasing effect, several studies have failed to find the main effect of dexamphetamine on WM in various task performances (Graham-Schmidt et al., 2019; Mattay et al., 1996Mattay et al., , 2000Pickworth et al., 1997;Schmedtje et al., 1988;Silber et al., 2006;Wardle et al., 2013). ...
Objectives:
This research aimed to systematically review the acute effects of amphetamine (AMP), a dopamine-releasing agent, on working memory (WM) and other cognitive performances. The investigation also aimed to review the impact of personality traits on the subjective and objective effects of AMP and possible links between personality traits and effects of AMP.
Methods:
Previous double-blind controlled studies assessing the main effects of AMP on WM and other cognitive performances in healthy volunteers were systematically reviewed. An electronic search was performed in the PUBMED and SCOPUS databases. Narrative reviews of the influence of personality traits on the subjective and objective effects of AMP were included.
Results:
Nineteen WM studies were included in the current review. Seven studies found effects of AMP on spatial WM, but only one study found the effect of AMP on verbal WM. Thirty-seven independent studies on other aspects of cognitive performance were identified. Twenty-two reported effects of AMP on cognitive functions. Studies also showed that personality traits are associated with the subjective effects of AMP. However, few studies reported the impacts of personality traits on the objective (such as WM) effects of AMP.
Conclusion:
Overall, findings indicate that AMP has mixed-effects on spatial WM and other cognitive functions, but it lacks effects on verbal WM. Although there are insufficient studies on objective measures, studies also indicated that the subjective effects of AMP administration are linked to between-person variations in personality traits.
... Laboratory research on stimulants and dysfunction has shown conflicting findings. Low dosages of amphetamine have little negative effect on cognitive function and may improve performance in some psychomotor activities, although they are usually reserved for fatigued people who execute uncomplicated tasks [10]. ...
Background
Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are one of the main causes of mortality in developing countries. Although the association between alcohol and the risk of MVA has been known for a long time, only a few studies have been conducted on driving following substance consumption in a short period of time. This is while narcotic and stimulant use seems to be a threat to traffic safety and a serious health concern for substance users. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of substance use (narcotics and stimulants) in drivers with traffic injuries admitted to the orthopedic ward of Imam Khomeini Hospital between October 2020 and June 2021.
Methods
The current research is a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study. The statistical population consisted of 77 patients admitted to the orthopedic ward of a training hospital (Imam Khomeini) in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to determine the quantitative variables. The sampling method is random and consecutive. The method of data collection was through questionnaire tools. The software used was SPSS 26 with an independent t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, Chi-square or Fisher's exact test.
Results
In this study, the frequency of substance use was 18.18%. The prevalence of opioid usage was 35.7% and for stimulants it was 64.28%. There was no case of concomitant use of opioids and stimulants. In the opioid group, 60% of patients used opium, 20% methadone, and 20% tramadol. In the stimulant and alcohol groups, 12.12% utilized methamphetamine and 88.88% drank alcohol. The average age of consumers was 39 years, which was significantly higher in the opioid group (P = 0.040). The education level of substance users was remarkably lower (P < 0.05) and, occupationally, there was no statistically significant difference between groups of substance users (P = 0.290). Considerably, the unemployed population consumed more substances (P = 0.001). Multiple fractures (P < 0.05) and surgical treatment (P = 0.012) were more common in the user group.
Conclusion
Users of stimulants and alcohol were younger than opioid users, according to our results. There is an association between drug use and the incidence of traffic accidents, as well as lower educational levels, masculinity, fracture type, and patient complication type.
... Regarding the above, several studies performed in controlled clinical settings have suggested that low doses of amphetamines could improve psychomotor skills, such as driving ability, even in fatigued subjects [35,36]. On the other hand, amphetamines have been shown to impair cognitive functions such as working memory and movement perception, while improving neuropsychological skills, such as tracking, impulse control, and reaction time [37][38][39][40][41][42]. The abuse of amphetamines has been described as causing hypersomnolence at the end-of-binge [43] and a negative impact on automated driving performances such as lateral and speed control [30]. ...
Driving under the influence of alcohol has been shown to increase the risk of involvement in road traffic collisions (RTCs) however, less is known about the effects of illicit drugs, and a clear correlation between drug concentrations and RTC risk is still debated. The goal of this narrative review is to assess the current literature regarding the most detected psychoactive drugs in RTC (ethanol, amphetamines, cannabis, opioids and cocaine), in relation to driving performance. Evidence on impaired driving due to psychoactive substances, forensic issues relating to the assessment of the impact of drugs, blood cut-off values proposed to date as well as scientific basis for proposed legislative limits are discussed. At present there is no unequivocal evidence demonstrating a clear dose/concentration dependent impairment in many substances. Per se and zero tolerance approaches seem to have negative effect on drugged driving fatalities. However, the weight of these approaches needs further investigation.
... Amphetamine has historically been used as a cognitive enhancer in order to increase performance and productivity. Earlier studies on the cognitive effects of amphetamine found that it enhances psychomotor functioning, perceptual speed, attention (Silber, Croft, Papafotiou, & Stough, 2006), and vigilance (Koelega, 1993). However, some reviews suggest that amphetamine improves performance on simple tasks only (Advokat, 2010) or that it enhances motor output rather than cognition (Solanto, 1998). ...
Stimulant use disorders present an enduring public health concern. Chronic stimulant use is associated with a range of health problems, with notable increases in stimulant overdose that disproportionately affect marginalized populations. With these persistent problems, it is important to understand the behavioral and pharmacological factors that contribute to stimulant use in humans. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an update and narrative review on recent human laboratory research that has evaluated the behavioral pharmacology of stimulant drugs. We focus on two prototypic stimulants: cocaine as a prototype monoamine reuptake inhibitor and d-amphetamine as a prototype monoamine releaser. As such, placebo controlled human laboratory studies that involved administration of doses of cocaine or d-amphetamine and were published in peer reviewed journals within the last 10 years (i.e., since 2011) are reviewed. Primary outcomes from these studies are subjective effects, reinforcing effects, cognitive/behavioral effects, and discriminative stimulus effects. Both cocaine and d-amphetamine produce classical stimulant-like behavioral effects (e.g., increase positive subjective effects, function as reinforcers), but there are notable gaps in the literature including understanding sex differences in response to stimulant drugs, cognitive-behavioral effects of stimulants, and influence of use history (e.g., relatively drug naïve vs drug experienced) on stimulant effects.
... In the context of interconnected approaches designed to understand both drugs of abuse and candidate therapeutics, animal variants of the psychomotor vigilance task are devised to reveal the extent to which a drug can either worsen attentional processes, improve them via slowing its time-dependent degradation, or enhance wakefulness following conditions of sleep deprivation (McCarthy et al., 2017). Not surprisingly, administration of drugs such as Δ 9 -THC in monkeys produced dose-related decrements on sustained vigilance ; however, studies with relatively low doses of the psychomotor stimulants caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, and amphetamine in rats documented systematic improvements in task metrics (Davis, Roma, & Hienz, 2016;Evenden, Turpin, Oliver, & Jennings, 1993) similar to findings observed in human studies (Silber, Croft, Papafotiou, & Stough, 2006). ...
Behavioral pharmacology has been aided significantly by the development of innovative cognitive tasks designed to examine complex behavioral processes in laboratory animals. Performance outcomes under these conditions have provided key metrics of drug action which serve to supplement traditional in vivo assays of physiologic and behavioral effects of psychoactive drugs. This chapter provides a primer of cognitive tasks designed to assay different aspects of complex behavior, including learning, cognitive flexibility, memory, attention, motivation, and impulsivity. Both capstone studies and recent publications are highlighted throughout to illustrate task value for two distinct but often interconnected translational strategies. First, task performance in laboratory animals can be utilized to elucidate how drugs of abuse affect complex behavioral processes. Here, the expectation is that adverse effects on such processes will have predictive relevance to consequences that will be experienced by humans. Second, these same task outcomes can be used to evaluate candidate therapeutics. In this case, the extent to which drug doses with medicinal value perturb task performance can contribute critical information for a more complete safety profile appraisal and advance the process of medications development. Methodological and theoretical considerations are discussed and include an emphasis on determining selectivity in drug action on complex behavioral processes.
