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. 2023 Jan;38(1):e2856.
doi: 10.1002/hup.2856. Epub 2022 Oct 17.

Systematic reviews of the acute effects of amphetamine on working memory and other cognitive performances in healthy individuals, with a focus on the potential influence of personality traits

Faiz M Kassim  1   2
Affiliations

Systematic reviews of the acute effects of amphetamine on working memory and other cognitive performances in healthy individuals, with a focus on the potential influence of personality traits

Faiz M Kassim. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: This research aimed to systematically review the acute effects of amphetamine (AMP), a dopamine-releasing agent, on working memory (WM) and other cognitive performances. The investigation also aimed to review the impact of personality traits on the subjective and objective effects of AMP and possible links between personality traits and effects of AMP.

Methods: Previous double-blind controlled studies assessing the main effects of AMP on WM and other cognitive performances in healthy volunteers were systematically reviewed. An electronic search was performed in the PUBMED and SCOPUS databases. Narrative reviews of the influence of personality traits on the subjective and objective effects of AMP were included.

Results: Nineteen WM studies were included in the current review. Seven studies found effects of AMP on spatial WM, but only one study found the effect of AMP on verbal WM. Thirty-seven independent studies on other aspects of cognitive performance were identified. Twenty-two reported effects of AMP on cognitive functions. Studies also showed that personality traits are associated with the subjective effects of AMP. However, few studies reported the impacts of personality traits on the objective (such as WM) effects of AMP.

Conclusion: Overall, findings indicate that AMP has mixed-effects on spatial WM and other cognitive functions, but it lacks effects on verbal WM. Although there are insufficient studies on objective measures, studies also indicated that the subjective effects of AMP administration are linked to between-person variations in personality traits.

Keywords: amphetamine; cognitive impairment; dopamine; personality trait; working memory.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
PRISMA flow diagram of the literature search for working memory
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
PRISMA flow diagram of the literature search for cognitive function
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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