Cognitive–Emotional Functioning in Substance Use Disorder: Differences by MoCA-Based Mild Cognitive Impairment
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: addiction is a chronic yet treatable condition characterized by alterations in brain circuits, cognitive deficits, and emotional dysregulation, which increase relapse risk and complicate treatment outcomes. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may represent an additional vulnerability affecting the coordination of inhibitory control and emotional processes; however, its role in chronic drug users remains understudied.
Objective: to compare inhibitory control, emotional interference, and emotional regulation between chronic drug users with and without MCI, and to examine associations among cognitive, emotional, and behavioral measures.
Method: a cross-sectional comparative study was conducted with 80 male drug users recruited from residential treatment centers. Participants met DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorder, reported polysubstance use, and maintained at least six weeks of abstinence. Cognitive status was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Inhibitory control was measured with a Go/No-Go task, and emotional regulation with the Emotional Stroop Test and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Analyses included nonparametric comparisons, partial correlations controlling for age, and False Discovery Rate correction.
Results: participants had a mean age of 34.1 years (SD = 10), and 48.8% met criteria for MCI. No sociodemographic differences were observed between groups. The MCI group showed greater variability in inhibitory control and weaker, less consistent associations between cognitive performance and emotional interference measures. In contrast, the non-MCI group exhibited more stable and distributed cognitive–emotional associations. No significant differences were found in self-reported emotional regulation.
Discussion and conclusions: findings suggest that MCI is associated less with global deficits and more with reduced stability and integration of cognitive–emotional functioning. Considering cognitive status may improve interventions targeting coordinated cognitive control and emotional regulation in addiction treatment.
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