opioid addiction
Research Papers
Electroencephalography-based cortical sources of working memory in the subjects with opioid addiction: A pilot study
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Working memory impairments in the subjects of opioid addiction may stem from an aberrant cortical activity in the executive areas, and may help in early identification of individuals with addictive tendencies and may also be used as a neurofeedback mechanism in adjunct to the existing therapeutics. METHODS: Electrical neuroimaging via 128-channel electroencephalography (EEG) recording was done in 15 male subjects with opioid addiction (29.45±5.6 yr) during the performance of Sternberg Working Memory Task. EEG data were acquired and analyzed for cortical sources during task as compared to resting (baseline) condition. RESULTS: Working memory deficits were manifested as decrease in accuracy percentage in the subjects with opioid addiction, while no significant difference was seen in reaction time, on comparison with laboratory-acquired matched controls. Standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA)-based EEG source analysis revealed higher cortical activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, inferior, middle and superior temporal gyri, inferior frontal gyrus, superior parietal lobule, inferior parietal lobule and precuneus, whereas significant lower activity was seen in superior and middle frontal gyri, parietal lobule, cingulate cortex and pre- and postcentral gyri when the task was compared to baseline in the subjects with opioid addiction. Further, a negative correlation was seen between the accuracy of task performance and activation ratio for the significant gyri in the subjects with opioid addiction. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: EEG cortical sources revealed the failure of deactivation of default-mode network (DMN) during the task amongst the subjects with opioid addiction. In addition, there was a decrease in the executive function areas in the subjects with opioid addiction. This lack of sufficiently active executive network and persistence of DMN during the task (as compared to baseline) may potentially form the basis of functional impairments in the subjects with opioid addiction.
View Full Paper →Effectiveness of Neurofeedback Training as a Treatment for Opioid-Dependent Patients
Neurofeedback (NF) training has been employed as a therapeutic method in substance-dependence disorder over the last three decades. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of this method on improvement of comorbid neuro-psychological syndromes in opioid-dependence disorder. Psychopathological and craving dimensions and brain activity signals of 20 opioid dependent patients were measured using Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL90-R), Heroin Craving Questionnaire (HCQ), and Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG). All the patients were undergoing pharmacotherapy. They were assigned to two groups that were matched based on SCL-90-R scores, education and age. The experimental group received 30 sessions of NF training in addition to their medicine. The control group received only the usual pharmacotherapy. The probable changes were monitored by reappraisal of all the patients after the treatment. We hypothesized that patients in the experimental group would show more reduction in their comorbid syndromes.
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