[Cognitive reserve in substance addicts in treatment: relation to cognitive performance and activities of daily living].

Introduction: The concept of cognitive reserve has gradually attracted more interest as a greater body of evidence has been collected on its relationship with the resistance of the brain to decline in its functioning when faced with neurological threats or disorders. Although a large amount of research has been conducted on (degenerative, traumatic, psychopathological) conditions, very few studies relate cognitive reserve with substance addiction, a multidimensional process with a clear neurological base.

Aims: To explore the cognitive reserve of patients undergoing treatment for addiction to drugs of abuse by relating it with their cognitive performance in neuropsychological tests and in activities of daily living.

Patients And Methods: The study involved a sample of 57 patients being treated for substance abuse at a centre set up for this specific purpose. The cognitive reserve questionnaire, the Montreal cognitive assessment and the prefrontal symptoms inventory were administered, and variables related with the addiction were collected.

Results: A positive relation was found between the cognitive reserve and the time of abstinence, and a negative one was seen with the severity of the addiction. Significant differences were observed according to the cognitive reserve in neuropsychological performance (especially in certain cognitive domains) and in daily activities.

Conclusions: The cognitive reserve appears as a variable related to addiction and the cognitive deficits that accompany it. It is thus a potential target for rehabilitation activities and is linked to the environmental enrichment paradigm, as a strategy for enhancing resistance against the cognitive impairment that favours and maintains the addiction, and for lowering the reinforcing potential of the behaviour of consuming.