EVALUACIóN DE LA IMPULSIVIDAD MEDIANTE UNA TAREA DE DESCUENTO POR DEMORA EN ADICTOS A LA COCAíNA

Delay discounting (DD) is a measure of impulsivity that describes the rate at which rewards lose value as the delay to their receipt increases. Greater discounting has been associated with various types of drug dependence in recent research. The present study compared the performance of two groups of individuals on a delay discounting task: cocaine dependents (n = 15) and control non dependents (n = 15). A prototypical DD choice task were applied where participants were asked if they would prefer a smaller sum of hypothetical money available immediately or a larger sum of hypothetical money available at some point in the future. Analysis revealed that cocaine-dependent individuals discounted delayed rewards more than not dependent individuals. Delayed reinforces lose their value significantly faster in the group of cocaine dependents compared with non-dependent controls. The DD paradigm may be relevant in research on cocaine dependence and it is a useful starting point for the evaluation and development of effective treatments in this area of intervention.