A working-memory training pilot reported better self-rated impulsivity and self-regulation outcomes in methamphetamine inpatients. It did not demonstrate reduced relapse or objective improvement in every form of inhibitory control.
Brooks and colleagues compared 15 inpatients receiving usual treatment, 20 receiving usual treatment plus working-memory training, and 25 healthy controls. Outcomes were measured at baseline and after four weeks. The authors characterized the work as exploratory research on self-report measures rather than a formal clinical-outcome trial. Training-task improvement and questionnaire improvement were separate observations.
The trained group showed favorable comparisons on selected mood, self-control, impulsivity and self-regulation ratings. The findings offer preliminary evidence that participants perceived changes relevant to managing behavior. They do not show that every scale improved or that self-reported change is equivalent to observed stopping ability. The source itself emphasized that clinician ratings or objective tasks would be needed to assess the wider claim.
All patients were undergoing inpatient care, so concurrent treatment, engagement and recovery matter. A small comparison without a definitive clinical-trial design cannot isolate every source of improvement. Questionnaires can capture meaningful experience while still being influenced by expectations and mood. The study did not establish transfer to complex everyday decisions, lasting abstinence or a drug-concentration threshold. Its findings should remain distinct from related structural-imaging work and from trials measuring transfer to untrained cognitive tasks. The supported conclusion is a preliminary self-report signal that justifies more controlled and functionally grounded testing.
See training gains versus transfer to other cognitive tasks.