Cue-evoked arousal in cocaine users: a study of variance and predictive value

Thirty-six cocaine abusers in treatment and 16 non-using controls were exposed to visual cocaine cues; measurements included changes in skin conductance and a rating of psychological arousal (persisting cocaine thoughts and images during the 24 h following the experiment). The GSI score of the HSCL-58 was used as an indicator of psychological distress. Probands showed arousal responses significantly higher than the controls. Skin conductance readings correlated positively with HSCL-58 scores and with severity of craving in the week prior to the trial. Unexpectedly, they correlated negatively with duration of cocaine use and did not vary as a function of the severity of cocaine addiction or the duration of cocaine abstinence prior to the test. Neither cocaine addiction measurements nor arousal responses were found to predict cessation of use (a minimum of 3 months of sustained abstinence) 1 year after the test.