Event-related potentials in a Go/Nogo task of abnormal response inhibition in heroin addicts

Abstract

Inhibitory control dysfunction is regarded as a core feature in addicts. The major objective of this study was to explore the time course of response inhibition in chronic heroin addicts and provide the neurophysiological evidence of their inhibitory control dysfunction. The amplitudes and latencies of ERP components were studied in fourteen heroin addicts (mean duration of heroin use being (13.54+/-5.71) years (Mean+/-SD), average abstinence being ((4.67+/-6.44) months)) and fourteen matched healthy controls with a visual Go/Nogo task. Our results showed that heroin addicts demonstrated significantly larger Go-N2 amplitudes which results in a decreased N2 Go/Nogo effect, but no statistically significant differences were found between heroin addicts and controls in P3. The ERP data suggest that fronto-central areas of heroin addicts were impaired during the inhibition process (200-300 ms) and over-activated to targets. The impaired early process might reflect an abnormal conflict monitoring process in heroin addicts. These results consolidate the inhibitory control dysfunction hypothesis in chronic heroin users.

Systematic review of ERP and fMRI studies investigating inhibitory control and error processing in people

“…92 It should be noted, however, that inhibitory requirements in this task were low given the high probability of no-go trials (i.e., 50% of the trials were no-go trials), so that the task may have been too easy to reveal differences in inhibitory control between those with opiate dependence and controls.…”

Age and impulsive behavior in drug addiction: A review of past research and future directions

“…More studies have been conducted in participants with a mean age greater than 40 years in the area of prepotent response inhibition, although there is scarcity in research in samples older than age of 50. In these studies, a significant association has been shown between performance in the prepotent response inhibition tasks and cocaine (Parvaz et al, 2012; Hester et al, 2007) and alcohol dependence (Sjoerds et al, 2014; Thoma et al, 2007; Lawrence et al, 2009; Goudriaan et al, 2006), and no significant effects have been found for heroin use (Liang et al, 2014; Yang et al, 2009). Research in older samples exists to a very limited extent, warranting future research about how impulsive behavior changes with normal aging and its effects on drug use.…”

Reduction in N2 amplitude in response to deviant drug-related stimuli during a two-choice oddball task in long-term heroin abstainers

“…Based on our findings, in addition to capturing attention, drug-related cues can disrupt mechanisms of response inhibition even though a longer period of abstinence, which expanded upon general inhibition function deficits associated with heroin use (Yang et al, 2009;Yuan et al, 2009). Our findings highlight the importance of assessing and improving the ability of inhibiting drug-related cue reactivity in heroin abstainers.…”

“…Evidence suggests that deficits in inhibitory functions associated with heroin use could remain even months after abstinence (Fu et al, 2008;Yang et al, 2009;Yang et al, 2015b;Yuan et al, 2009) and contribute to substance use initiation and escalation (Mahmood et al, 2013;Nigg et al, 2006). From a clinical point of view, being able to inhibit drug seeking and intake when exposed to drug-related cues is very important for heroin abstainers to maintain abstinence.…”

“…Using the equiprobable Go/NoGo tasks, it has been found that heroin abstainers have larger Go-N2 amplitude, smaller N2d amplitude and longer P3 latency than healthy controls (Yang et al, 2009;Yang et al, 2015b), suggesting response inhibition deficits. Nevertheless, absence of behavioral deficits and abnormal neural activation during performance of a Go/NoGo task has been found in abstinent heroin and cocaine addicts (Morie et al, 2014).…”