DISCUSSION
Overall, this sample of adults with a history of MA use showed somewhat similar accuracy
and efficiency scores on several ANAM tests (spatial and delayed memory) compared to
another sample of substance abuse patients,25 although our sample scored higher on tests of
learning and working memory. Comparing our under 30 subsample to a young adult
normative/reference sample (average age of 23), similar learning (46.4) and working
memory (18.7) efficiency scores were reported,26 suggesting cognitive functioning in our
sample may be somewhat similar to a normative sample. However, substantial variability
was observed based on demographics, substance use, and mental health problems.
Interestingly, our results suggest that for specific memory (delayed and spatial) and learning
tasks, more frequent recent MA use was associated with poorer accuracy but faster cognitive
processing speed. Accordingly, efficiency (throughput) scores showed no association with
recent MA use.