Beneficial effects of thiamine on recognition memory and P300 in abstinent cocaine-dependent patients.

The present study evaluated the effects of thiamine vs. placebo on memory task performance and event-related electroencephalographic potentials in eight abstinent cocaine-dependent patients. Patients orally ingested 5 g of thiamine and 5 g of a lactose placebo on two separate days scheduled approximately 1 week apart. The order of administration was randomized. Double-blind procedures were followed. Approximately 3 h after ingesting the capsules, patients completed Sternberg's (1975) memory scanning task during which performance and event-related potentials (P300) were recorded simultaneously. Thiamine was found to significantly improve recognition accuracy and P300 amplitude, at the midline parietal (Pz) electrode. The improvement was most reliable under conditions of increased memory load. These preliminary findings justify a further examination of the relation between thiamine's hypothesized effects on central nervous system cholinergic function, and the direct and indirect effects of cocaine abuse.