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Related Experiment Videos

Opioid abuse and cognitive performance.

Miriam Z Mintzer¹, Marc L Copersino, Maxine L Stitzer

¹Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Biology Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5510 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. mmintzer@jhmi.edu

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

|April 23, 2005

Summary

Methadone maintenance may worsen cognitive deficits beyond those from long-term opioid abuse. Abstinence may allow for some functional recovery, but further research is needed.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychology
Addiction Medicine

Background:

Opioid abuse is linked to cognitive deficits.
Methadone maintenance is a common treatment for opioid dependence.
Previous research suggests methadone maintenance patients (MMP) may experience performance impairments.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether methadone maintenance itself contributes to performance impairment, distinct from long-term opioid abuse.
To compare cognitive performance between abstinent former opioid abusers, current MMP, and non-drug abusing controls.

Main Methods:

Compared a group of 20 abstinent former opioid abusers to previously studied groups of 18 MMP and 21 controls.
Utilized the same performance testing battery for all groups.

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Ensured demographic and drug history similarity between abstinent abusers and MMP.

Main Results:

Abstinent abusers' performance fell between MMP and controls on many measures.
This suggests methadone maintenance may be associated with additional impairment beyond long-term abuse.
Some recovery of functioning may occur with abstinence.

Conclusions:

Methadone maintenance may impose additional cognitive burdens.
Abstinence shows potential for functional recovery.
Further research is needed to understand impairment factors and clinical significance in MMP.