JOMPAC
Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care

Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care (JOMPAC) is an open access scientific journal with independent, unbiased, and double-blind review under international guidelines. The purpose of JOMPAC is to contribute to the literature by publishing articles on health sciences and medicine.

eISSN: 2717-7505
Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.
EndNote Style

Submit Manuscript

Index
Review
Substance use and memory impairments: a multidimensional review on neurological and cognitive effects
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the relationship between substance use and memory disorders. This study also analyzed the biological effects of drug use on the brain and investigated the mechanisms by which these effects lead to impairment of memory function. Furthermore, the impact of various elements, including substance abuse, mental health conditions, hereditary susceptibility, and chronological age, was assessed. Substance use negatively affects memory and learning processes by causing functional impairments in critical regions such as the hippocampus and frontal lobe. Different substances cause specific damage to the memory. This review highlights how substance use can lead to permanent neurocognitive impairment, with effects varying according to substance type, duration of use, and individual factors. This underscores the importance of early intervention and preventive strategies. Multidisciplinary approaches are important in the prevention and management of these effects.

Keywords : Substance addiction, memory disorders, cognitive effects

Download Article


1. UNODC. World Drug Report 2021. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; 2021. Accessed [2024]. https://www.unodc.org/wdr 2021
2. Green Crescent. Turkey Drug Report. Istanbul: Green Crescent Society; 2021. Accessed [2024]. https://www.yesilay.org.tr
3. Kreek MJ, Nielsen DA, Butelman ER, LaForge KS. Genetic influences on impulsivity, risk taking, stress responsiveness and vulnerability to drug abuse and addiction. Nat Neurosci. 2005;8(11):1450-1457. doi:10.1038/nn1583
4. Wright AC, Moody E, Browne J, Cather C. Self-defining memories among persons with mental health, substance use, cognitive, and physical health conditions: a systematic review. Memory. 2022;30(7): 823-844. doi:10.1080/09658211.2022.2042565
5. Koob GF, Le Moal M. Drug abuse: hedonic homeostatic dysregulation. Science. 1997;278(5335):52-58. doi:10.1126/science.278.5335.52
6. Volkow ND, Blanco C. Substance use disorders: a comprehensive update of classification, epidemiology, neurobiology, clinical aspects, treatment and prevention. World Psychiatry. 2023;22(2):203-229. doi:10.1002/wps. 21073
7. Bandura A. Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychol Rev. 1977;84(2):191-215. doi:10.1037//0033-295x.84.2.191
8. Agnew R. Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency. Criminology. 1992;30(1):47-88. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.1992.tb01093.x
9. Cohen AK. Delinquent Boys: The Culture of the Gang. Glencoe, IL: Free Press; 1955.
10. Khantzian EJ. The injured self, addiction, and our call to medicine: understanding and managing addicted physicians. JAMA. 1985;254(2): 249-252. doi:10.1001/jama.1985.03360020081029
11. Elwyn L, Smith C. Child maltreatment and adult substance abuse: the role of memory. J Soc Work Pract Addict. 2013;13(3):269-294. doi:10.1080/ 1533256X.2013.814483
12. Goldman MS. Risk for substance abuse: memory as a common etiological pathway. Psychol Sci. 1999;10(3):196-198. doi:10.1111/1467-9280.00133
13. Selkoe DJ. Alzheimer’s disease is a synaptic failure. Science. 2002; 298(5594):789-791. doi:10.1126/science.1074069
14. Pitel AL, Beaunieux H, Desgranges B. Episodic memory and related processes in chronic alcoholism. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2007;31(9):1508-1519. doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00418.x
15. Hardy J, Selkoe DJ. The amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease: progress and problems on the road to therapeutics. Science. 2002; 297(5580):353-356. doi:10.1126/science.1072994
16. Salthouse TA. The processing-speed theory of adult age differences in cognition. Psychol Rev. 1996;103(3):403-428. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.103. 3.403
17. Fernández-Serrano MJ, Pérez-García M, Verdejo-García A. What are the specific vs. generalized effects of drugs of abuse on neuropsychological performance? Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2010;34(3):337-346. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.04.008
18. Roediger HL, McDermott KB. Creating false memories: remembering words not presented in lists. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1995;21(4): 803-814. doi:10.1037/0278-7393.21.4.803
19. Ranganathan M, Radhakrishnan R, Addy PH, et al, D’Souza DC. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) impairs encoding but not retrieval of verbal information. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2017; 79(Pt B):176-183. doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.06.019
20. Schacter DL, Norman KA, Koutstaal W. The cognitive neuroscience of constructive memory. Annu Rev Psychol. 1998;49(1):289-318. doi:10. 1146/annurev.psych.49.1.289
21. McDonald J, Mewse AJ, Saunders J. Effects of alcohol on source monitoring errors. Memory. 2000;8(6):379-389.
22. Ranganathan M, D’Souza DC. The acute effects of cannabinoids on memory in humans: a review. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2006;188(4): 425-444. doi:10.1007/s00213-006-0508-y
23. Reyna VF, Brainerd CJ. Fuzzy-trace theory: an interim synthesis. Learn Individual Differences. 1995;7(1):1-75. doi:10.1016/1041-6080(95)90031-4
24. Brainerd CJ, Reyna VF. Fuzzy-trace theory and false memory. Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2002;11(5):164-169. doi:10.1111/1467-8721.00192
25. Altura MB, Altura BT. Alcohol-induced memory impairments: neurochemical and behavioral aspects. Neurobiol Aging. 2001;22(3):417-423.
26. Harvey MA, Sellman JD, Porter RJ. The relationship between cannabis and cognitive functioning in schizophrenia: a systematic review. Psychol Med. 2007;37(7):1045-1056. doi:10.1080/09595230701247772
27. Nadel L, Moscovitch M. Memory consolidation, retrograde amnesia and the hippocampal complex. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 1997;7(2):217-227. doi:10.1016/S0959-4388(97)80010-4
28. Winocur G, Moscovitch M, Bontempi B. Memory formation and long-term retention. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2010;20(2):161-166. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.04.016
29. Dede AJO, Wixted JT, Hopkins RO, Squire LR. Autobiographical memory, future imagining, and the medial temporal lobe. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016;113(48):13474-13479. doi:10.1073/pnas.1615864113
30. Volkow ND, Fowler JS, Wang GJ. The addicted human brain: insights from imaging studies. J Clin Invest. 2003;111(10):1444-1451. doi:10.1172/JCI18533
31. Baler RD, Volkow ND. Drug addiction: the neurobiology of disrupted self-control. Trends Mol Med. 2006;12(12):559-566. doi:10.1016/j.molmed.2006.10.005
32. Brooks SJ, Funk SG, Young SY, Schiöth HB. The role of working memory for cognitive control in anorexia nervosa versus substance use disorder. Front Psychol. 2017;8:1651. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01651
33. Jacobsen LK, Picciotto MR, Heath CJ, et al. Prenatal and adolescent exposure to tobacco smoke modulates the development of white matter microstructure. J Neurosci. 2007;27(49):13491-13498. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2402-07.2007
34. Ranganath C, Minzenberg MJ, Ragland JD. The cognitive neuroscience of memory for source: an update on source monitoring. J Cogn Neurosci. 2003;15(2):185-195.
35. Ornstein TJ, Iddon JL, Baldacchino AM, et al. Profiles of cognitive dysfunction in chronic amphetamine and heroin abusers. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2000;23(2):113-126. doi:10.1016/S0893-133X (00)00097-X
36. Thomasius R, Petersen K, Buchert R, et al. Mood, cognition, and serotonin transporter availability in current and former ecstasy (MDMA) users. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2006;181(4):717-726. doi:10. 1177/0269881106059486
37. Pfefferbaum A, Sullivan EV. Microstructural but not macrostructural disruption of white matter in women with chronic alcoholism. Neuroimage. 2002;15(3):708-718. doi:10.1006/nimg.2001.1018
38. Goldstein RZ, Volkow ND. Dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex in addiction: neuroimaging findings and clinical implications. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2011;12(11):652-669. doi:10.1038/nrn3119
39. Payne JD, Ellenbogen JM, Walker MP, Stickgold R. The role of sleep in memory consolidation. Learn Mem. 2008;15(7):455-460.
40. Walker MP, Stickgold R. Sleep, memory, and plasticity. Annu Rev Psychol. 2006;57:139-166. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.56.091103.070307
41. Lundqvist T. Cognitive consequences of cannabis use: comparison with abuse of stimulants and heroin about attention, memory, and executive functions. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2005;81(2):319-330. doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2005.02.017
42. Falleti E, Bitetto D, Fabris C, et al. Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and hepatocellular carcinoma in alcoholic cirrhosis. World J Gastroenterol. 2010;16(24):3016-3024. doi:10.3748/wjg. v16.i24. 3016
43. Bolla KI, Eldreth DA, Matochik JA, Cadet JL. Neural substrates of faulty decision-making in abstinent marijuana users. Neuroimage. 2005;19(3): 1085-1094. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.02.012
44. Morgan CA, Southwick SM, Steffian G, Hazlett G, Loftus EF. Misinformation can influence memory for recently experienced, highly stressful events. Int J Law Psychiatry. 2013;27(3):265-279. doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2012.11.002
45. Ersche KD, Clark L, London M, Robbins TW, Sahakian BJ. Profile of executive and memory function associated with amphetamine and opiate dependence. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2006;31(5):1036-1047. doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1300889
46. Squeglia LM, Jacobus J, Tapert SF. The influence of substance use on adolescent brain development. Clin EEG Neurosci. 2009;40(1):31-38. doi: 10.1177/155005940904000110
47. Gooden JR, Cox CA, Petersen V, et al. Predictors of cognitive functioning in presentations to a community-based specialist addiction neuropsychology service. Brain Impair. 2023;24(1):54-68. doi:10.1017/BrImp.2021.38
48. Devlin P, Cao X, Stanfill AG. Genotype-expression interactions for BDNF across human brain regions. BMC Genomics. 2021;22(1):207. doi: 10.1186/s12864-021-07525-1
49. Miller JS, Bada H, Dunworth C, Charnigo R. Recent and lifetime maternal substance use: rurality and economic distress. Res Nurs Health. 2023;46(5):502-514. doi:10.1002/nur.22330
50. Karlsgodt KH, Bachman P, Winkler AM, et al. Genetic influence on the working memory circuitry: behavior, structure, function and extensions to illness. Behav Brain Res. 2011;225(2):610-622. doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2011. 08.016
51. Sepulveda-Falla D, Vélez JI, Acosta-Baena N, et al. Genetic modifiers of cognitive decline in PSEN1 E280A Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Dement. 2024;20(4):2873-2885. doi:10.1002/alz.13754
52. Umminger LF, Rojczyk P, Seitz-Holland J, et al. White matter microstructure is associated with serum neuroactive steroids and psychological functioning. J Neurotrauma. 2023;40(7-8):649-664. doi: 10.1089/neu.2022.0111
53. McDermott TJ, Berg H, Touthang J, et al. Striatal reactivity during emotion and reward relates to approach-avoidance conflict behaviour and is altered in adults with anxiety or depression. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2022;47(5):E311-E322. doi:10.1503/jpn.220083
54. Zhang Y, Feng Y, Liu L, Jiang G, Wang M. Abnormal prefrontal cortical activation during the GO/NOGO and verbal fluency tasks in adult patients with comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: an fNIRS study. J Psychiatr Res. 2024;172: 281-290. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.02.053
55. Sheed A, Maharaj N, Simmons M, Papalia N, McEwan T. The role of situational factors in child-to-parent abuse: implications for assessment, management, and intervention. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2023;0306624X231159895. doi:10.1177/0306624X231159895
56. Brewin CR, Miller JK, Soffia M, Peart A, Burchell B. Posttraumatic stress disorder and complex posttraumatic stress disorder in UK police officers. Psychol Med. 2022;52(7):1287-1295. doi:10.1017/S0033291720003025
57. Heinz AJ, Makin-Byrd K, Blonigen DM, Reilly P, Timko C, Cronkite R. Relations between cognitive functioning and alcohol use, craving, and post-traumatic stress: an examination among trauma-exposed military veterans with alcohol use disorder. Mil Med. 2016;181(7):709-715. doi:10.7205/MILMED-D-15-00228
Article available in :
Volume 6, Issue 2, 2025
Page : 159-166
https://doi.org/10.47582/jompac.1617224
Article Information
Received : 10 Oca 2025
Accepted : 17 Mar 2025
Published : 23 Mar 2025
Corresponding Author :

Gün Pakyürek: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Letters, İzmir Democracy University, İzmir, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Pakyürek G. Substance use and memory impairments: a multidimensional review on neurological and cognitive effects. J Med Palliat Care. 2025;6(2):159-166.

Read: 14
Cited: 0
Download : 19
_Footer