RT Journal Article
T1 Neuropsychological impairment detected by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment monitors recovery and predicts treatment dropout in substance use disorders
A1 Requena-Ocaña, Nerea
A1 Mañas-Padilla, M. Carmen
A1 Sánchez-Álvarez, Nicolás
A1 Sampedro-Piquero, Patricia
A1 Castilla-Ortega, María Estela
K1 Neuropsicología - Trastornos
AB BackgroundSubstance use disorder (SUD) is frequently associated with cognitive impairment that negatively affects treatment adherence and clinical outcomes. Neuropsychological assessments provide detailed information but are often impractical in clinical settings, underscoring the value of brief but sensitive tools such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).AimsThis study aimed to evaluate the utility of MoCA in detecting cognitive impairment in SUD, examining cognitive recovery following sustained abstinence, exploring gender differences in cognitive progression and determining whether baseline cognitive performance predicts treatment dropout.MethodNinety-five SUD patients and 57 healthy controls completed MoCA at baseline and were reassessed after 6 months.ResultsAt baseline, 72.60% of individuals demonstrated cognitive impairment compared with controls, with deficits evident in both global cognition and visuospatial/executive, attention, memory and language domains. Following 6 months of abstinence, deterioration rates decreased to 50%, indicating substantial but not complete recovery, because the improvement in overall cognition was moderate. Male patients showed significantly greater cognitive gains than female patients, particularly in visuospatial/executive and digit span performance. Patients impaired at baseline reported more severe alcohol use and earlier onset of cannabis use disorder. Patients with cocaine use disorder showed the poorest recovery and the highest rate of treatment dropout. Lower baseline language and fluency scores were strongly associated with treatment discontinuation. Language deficits, together with cocaine use disorder, predicted 69% of dropout cases.ConclusionsFindings indicate MoCA as a practical screening tool for early detection of cognitive impairment, longitudinal monitoring and personalised treatment planning in SUD.
PB Oxford University Press
YR 2026
FD 2026-03-05
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/45940
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/45940
LA eng
NO Requena-Ocaña N, Mañas-Padilla MC, Sánchez-Álvarez N, Sampedro-Piquero P, Castilla-Ortega E. Neuropsychological impairment detected by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment monitors recovery and predicts treatment dropout in substance use disorders. BJPsych Open. 2026;12(2):e80. doi:10.1192/bjo.2026.10986
NO Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 19 mar 2026