The Effectiveness of Cognitive Rehabilitation on Cognitive Flexibility, Working Memory, Response Inhibition, and Drug Craving in Abstinent Addicts.

INTRODUCTION: Drug addiction leads to significant impairments in executive functions. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation (NEAT) in addiction treatment, focusing on cognitive flexibility, working memory, response inhibition, and drug craving. METHODS: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group was employed. Thirty participants undergoing treatment at a mandatory addiction center in Semnan were randomly assigned to experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The experimental group received 14 sessions of NEAT. Assessments included the Desires for Drug Questionnaire, N-back task, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Go/No-Go task. Data were analyzed using MANCOVA. FINDINGS: NEAT significantly improved all target outcomes. Compared to the control group, the experimental group showed statistically significant improvement in working memory (F=24.53, P<0.001, η2 =0.47), response inhibition (F=17.33, P<0.001, η2 =0.39), and cognitive flexibility (F=6.98, P=0.01, η2 =0.20), as well as a marked reduction in drug craving (F=10.11, P=0.004, η2 =0.27). CONCLUSION: The findings showed that the Neurocognitive Empowerment for Addiction Treatment (NEAT) protocol was effective in enhancing executive function and reducing drug craving in abstinent individuals. Implementing this protocol in addiction treatment centers can serve as a valuable therapeutic supplement alongside drug therapy. It is also recommended that future studies be conducted on more diverse populations. TRIAL REGISTERATION: IRCT20230808059086N1.