Cue-induced craving and physiological reactions in recently and long-abstinent heroin-dependent patients

Abstract

Objective To understand the different patterns of cue-induced craving and physiological reactions among recently abstinent and long- abstinent heroin-dependent patients. Method 26 healthy adult controls (HC), 29 long-abstinent (more than 1 year, LA), and 26 recently abstinent (less than 1 month, RA) heroin-dependent individuals were exposed to heroin-related and neutral video cues, one video per session, on different days in random order. Self-reported heroin craving by a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS), physiological reactions [Skin conductance (SC), muscle electromyography (MEG), skin temperature (TEMP)] and cardiovascular arousal [heart rates (HR), systolic blood pressure (HBP) and diastolic blood pressure (LBP)] were assessed at baseline and after exposure. Results Both heroin-abstinent groups showed increased heroin craving, SC, MEG, HR, SBP and LBP after exposure to heroin-related video, compared to the control group and compared to exposure to the neutral video. Except the RA group showed more HR changes, changes of heroin craving, SC, MEG, HR, SBP and LBP after exposure to the heroin cue video were not different between the LA and RA groups. Conclusions Abstinent heroin-dependent patients had elevated craving and physiological reactions after exposure to videos containing heroin-related cues and the cue induced responses still occurred in long-abstinent patients. This phenomenon should be addressed in treatment and recovery services for heroin dependence.

Addiction in Extreme Sports: An Exploration of Withdrawal States in Rock Climbers

“…Also congruent with previous craving research across other domains, participants described how their cravings were augmented in the face of climbing-related cues such as climbing videos or watching others climb (Zhao et al., 2012). High-ability participants not only reported accessing climbing-related cues more frequently than average-ability participants, but also implied they experienced more intense cravings as a result of such stimuli.…”

Striatal ups and downs: Their roles in vulnerability to addictions in humans

“…2). Promising strategies may be better afforded by approaches that selectively target enhanced responding to the drug and its control by drug associated stimuli (Kim et al, 2005; Barrett et al, 2008; Venugopalan et al, 2011; Loweth et al, 2013) or that retrain the patient to orient toward other cues and rewards, as is achieved in attentional bias training (Attwood et al, 2008; Fadardi and Cox, 2009; Schoenmakers et al, 2010; Zhao et al, 2012b) and contingent management therapies (Dutra et al, 2008; Volpp et al, 2009). Slow release DA indirect agonist preparations have shown modest, though inconsistent, efficacy in some populations (Castells et al, 2010; Mariani et al, 2012).…”

The effects of social contact on drug use: Behavioral mechanisms controlling drug intake.

“…Similarly, hand-raised goslings that observe a human tutor open a box are more likely to learn the task and make more contacts with the lid latch than goslings that do not observe a tutor (Fritz, Bisenberger, & Kotrschal, 2000). In the context of drug use, it is well established that drugs and the stimuli associated with their use acquire increased salience and induce subjective states of craving in drug-experienced individuals (Carter & Tiffany, 1999; Zhao et al, 2012). In fact, exposure to drug-related cues is often used to reinstate drug-seeking behavior after a period of abstinence in animal models of drug use (Epstein, Preston, Stewart, & Shaham, 2006; Shaham, Shalev, Lu, De Wit, & Stewart, 2003).…”