Effect of Substance Abuse on Evoked Response Potentials
Disciplines
Applied Behavior Analysis | Cognitive Psychology | Experimental Analysis of Behavior
Abstract (300 words maximum)
This research examined the effect of substance abuse on the P2 wave of the evoked response potential, an index of attention. It was hypothesized that individuals in recovery from substance abuse will display lower P2 wave response. Participants were categorized by two preexisting groups, the treatment (recruited from KSU Center for Young Adult Addiction and Recovery) group and the control group. The treatment group was comprised of young adults in recovery from alcohol or other drug abuse. The control group was comprised of college students who may or may not consume alcohol or other drugs. The CYAAR (treatment) group had significantly lower mean amplitude response to the target stimuli in comparison to the control group. The treatment group was found to have larger variance in mean scores than the control group. These results suggest that adults in recovery from addiction are less responsive to relevant stimuli. It is suggested that reduced attention span and problems recognizing relevant stimuli may be associated with risk for addiction. The use of alcohol or other drugs is potentially responsible for decreasing the amplitude response of adults even in recovery, indicated by the P2 wave.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Psychological Science
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Tim Martin
Effect of Substance Abuse on Evoked Response Potentials
This research examined the effect of substance abuse on the P2 wave of the evoked response potential, an index of attention. It was hypothesized that individuals in recovery from substance abuse will display lower P2 wave response. Participants were categorized by two preexisting groups, the treatment (recruited from KSU Center for Young Adult Addiction and Recovery) group and the control group. The treatment group was comprised of young adults in recovery from alcohol or other drug abuse. The control group was comprised of college students who may or may not consume alcohol or other drugs. The CYAAR (treatment) group had significantly lower mean amplitude response to the target stimuli in comparison to the control group. The treatment group was found to have larger variance in mean scores than the control group. These results suggest that adults in recovery from addiction are less responsive to relevant stimuli. It is suggested that reduced attention span and problems recognizing relevant stimuli may be associated with risk for addiction. The use of alcohol or other drugs is potentially responsible for decreasing the amplitude response of adults even in recovery, indicated by the P2 wave.