The effects of heroin administration and drug cues on impulsivity

Abstract

Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and continued use despite negative consequences. Behavioral impulsivity is a strong predictor of the initiation and maintenance of drug addiction. Preclinical data suggest that heroin may exacerbate impulsive characteristics in an individual but this has yet to be assessed in clinical samples. The current secondary data analysis sought to investigate the effects of heroin on impulsivity along with the effects of exposure to drug cues. Using the current data set, we also tentatively assessed the etiological relationship between impulsivity and heroin abuse. Sixteen heroin-dependent participants were recruited to complete IMT/DMT and GoStop tasks following repeated heroin administration, acute heroin administration and following a drug cue exposure session. Four preceding days of active heroin availability, compared to four preceding days of placebo drug availability, increased impulsivity assessed using the IMT and DMT. Presentation of drug cues similarly acted to increase impulsivity assessments on all three tasks. It also appears that heavier users were more susceptible to the influence of drug cues on impulsivity. The present study represents a step toward a more comprehensive understanding of the interaction between opioid abuse and impulsivity. A better understanding of these factors could provide critical insight into the maintenance of heroin use and relapse.

Interrelationship of Opioid Dependence, Impaired Impulse Control, and Depressive Symptoms: An Open-Label Cross-Sectional Study of Patients in Maintenance Therapy

“…Results of previous research on the association between severity of addiction and impulsivity are somewhat contradictory. Tolomeo et al [36] found a correlation between impulsivity and years of opioid exposure, whereas Jones et al [17] and Rodríguez-Cintas et al [45] could not find evidence of a connection between impulsivity and years of opioid intake or severity of addiction. We also found no connection between impulsivity and the number of years of illicit opioid intake, age when opioid intake and intravenous application started, the number of overdoses, or concomitant drug use.…”

Prefrontal-accumbens opioid plasticity: Implications for relapse and dependence

“…Emergence of compulsive and uncontrollable opioid use likely reflects impaired function of the numerous frontal cortical regions as well as increasing activation of neural networks responsible for habit-like behavior [69, 92–97]. Clinical findings indicate that heroin addicts exhibit attention bias in drug-associated contexts and often display increased impulsivity, cognitive inflexibility, and impaired attention [98, 99] that are strong predictors of heroin abuse and relapse [100–102]. Although impulsivity and inflexibility are not synonymous with compulsivity or habit, impulsiveness – either intrinsic or drug-induced – appears to increase vulnerability toward compulsion and habit and may ultimately lead to substance abuse [4, 103, 104].…”

Risky decision-making after exposure to a food-choice task in excess weight adolescents: Relationships with reward-related impulsivity and hunger

“…Regarding appetitive motivation, substance use disorders (addiction) and obesity, as well as subjective states of craving and hunger, are associated with attentional bias for drug- and food-related stimuli, respectively [ 24 , 25 ]. Furthermore, previous studies showed that drug-cue reactivity is positively associated with increases in impulsivity and risk-taking in substance abusers [ 26 ].…”