Electroencephalographic and behavioral correlates of buprenorphine administration

Male subjects on methadone maintenance who were residing in a research ward were switched to buprenorphine for 45 days. Physiologic measures, behavioral and subjective ratings of mood states, and an electroencephalogram (EEG) were obtained daily. Distinct changes in EEG activity paralleled physiologic and behavioral effects during the transition to buprenorphine. Similar physiologic effects and a reversal of EEG effects occurred when saline solution was substituted for buprenorphine. It is concluded that, consistent with its classification as a partial opiate agonist, buprenorphine may not substitute fully for methadone.