Consecuencias del consumo de drogas en las funciones ejecutivas en jóvenes entre 15 a 25 años.

Abstract

Introduction: It has been showed that excessive and prolonged consumption of different types of drugs result, among some, the deterioration of various cognitive abilities, among which the executive functions, which by reason of covering different ones, stand out for their clinical importance. Neuropsychological skills, are those that allow the human being to anticipate, plan, organize information, to carry out different cognitive, behavioral and emotional strategies and thus solve problems in a way that facilitates the person to develop in daily life in a productive way. Therefore, the main objective of this research is framed in knowing the executive skills due to drug consumption in people who attend the intensive ambulatory center (SAI) of the health center of the city of Latacunga. Materials and methods: A descriptive quantitative methodology was applied, with which the effects of drug use on executive functions were determined. The sample used was 20 people. The psychometric instrument that was applied was the Neuropsychological Battery of Executive Functions and Frontal Lobes (BANFE - 1) belonging to the authors Flores, Ostrosky and Lozano (2012). Results: Through the statistical analysis of the results obtained from the BANFE-1 neuropsychological battery, it is showed that of the total population studied, 50% of individuals have severe impairment in the overall functioning of executive functions. Specifically, in the pre-frontal lobe, the dorso-lateral cortex is the area that presents the greatest cognitive alteration, represented in 40% of people with severe alteration, followed by 35% of the population with the same level of alteration in the Orbito-medial cortex. Conclusion: Based on the data obtained and after interpreting them, it can be concluded that the habitual consumption of different types of drugs, in patients who attend Latacunga (SAI), have as a consequence low neuropsychological performance in different cognitive activities in The executive area. These tasks are: stroop test, card classification, self-directed signaling, visospatial memory, labyrinths and tower of Hanoi, which are indicated in the descriptive analysis of the sub-tests (Table 2) where the minimum score is 1 and maximum is 5, therefore, they are considered to have lower performance because they score below the average that is 2.5. These results may facilitate a better analysis of evolution and therapeutic response in this type of patients based on their cognitive performance.