Cognitive functions in alcohol use and cannabis use disorder: A cross-sectional study

Background and Aim: Alcohol and cannabis misuse have an impact on neurocognition. This cross-sectional study evaluated the neuropsychological performance of individuals with alcohol dependence and cannabis dependence with concomitant alcohol use. Materials and Methods: We recruited individuals with alcohol dependence (n = 21) and cannabis dependence with concomitant alcohol use (n = 17) and age being 18-60 years as per the International Classification of Diseases-10th revision criteria. Convenience sampling was done. All the participants were evaluated by a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Comparisons involving neuropsychological measures were performed using Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: Participants with cannabis dependence with co-occurring alcohol use showed significantly poorer performance than the participants with alcohol dependence on tasks assessing processing speed, working memory, verbal learning and memory, visuospatial ability, and language skills Conclusions: Participants with cannabis dependence with co-occurring alcohol use exhibited poorer cognitive performance on several neuropsychological measures than the participants with alcohol dependence. Age, duration, and early age of cannabis use initiation have no links with cognitive performance in the cannabis + alcohol group.