Background: Inhalant users have multiple comorbid issues (e.g., polydrug use) that complicate identifying inhalant-specific cognitive deficits.
Objectives: The aim of the present study was to use signal detection theory to identify inhalant-specific differences in executive control.
Methods: We examined three well-matched groups: 19 inhalant users, 19 cannabis users, and 19 controls using Stroop and Go/No-Go tasks.
Results: Inhalant users demonstrated significantly lower d-prime scores relative to controls, but not cannabis users, on both tasks, suggesting possible executive deficits relative to controls. CONCLUSIONS/IMPORTANCE: The results of this study raise questions regarding inhalant toxicity and the vulnerability of the adolescent brain to drugs of abuse.
Keywords: Go/No-Go; Stroop; cannabis; cognitive control; d-prime; inhalants; signal detection.