A growing number of evidence suggests that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important part in modulating the activities on the basis of hippocampus neural plasticity, such as learning and memory. Heroin addiction has a series of cognitive impairments that may be associated with BDNF. In this study, we explored the association of BDNF with cognitive function in heroin-dependent ...

Methadone is a mu-opioid receptor agonist used for treating opiate dependence. The range of effective methadone doses is broad. Part of the large inter-individual variability in efficacy may be accounted for by genetic factors. Methadone is a substrate of the transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) 170 that is encoded by the ABCB1 (MDR1) gene. Thus, P-gp variants may play a role in methadone absorpti...

OBJECTIVE Neuro-electrophysiological tools have been widely used in heroin addiction studies. Previous studies indicated that chronic heroin abuse would result in abnormal functional organization of the brain, while few heroin addiction studies have applied the effective connectivity tool to analyze the brain functional system (BFS) alterations induced by heroin abuse. The present study aims to...

AIM This paper is a report of a study to answer the research question: can participative action research help to halt the deterioration in methadone substitution treatment and develop new care strategies which are better geared toward the patients' needs? BACKGROUND In the Netherlands, methadone substitute treatment has been the main medical treatment for heroin addiction since the early 1980...

OBJECTIVES To assess the quality of life (QoL) of heroin users starting and following 4 and 8 months of maintenance treatment program using buprenorphine vs. methadone. METHODS Participants received maintenance treatment with oral methadone or sublingual buprenorphine for the treatment of heroin dependence. Participants' QoL was measured using the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Qu...

Despite intensive medication development efforts, no effective pharmacotherapy for cocaine abuse has demonstrated efficacy for long-term use. Given the obvious importance of the dopamine transporter in the addictive properties of cocaine, the development and use of compounds that target the dopamine transporter represents a reasonable approach for the pharmacological treatment of cocaine abuse....

Providing heroin to people with heroin addiction taking part in medical trials assessing the effectiveness of the drug as a treatment alternative breaches ethical research standards, some ethicists maintain. Heroin addicts, they say, are unable to consent voluntarily to taking part in these trials. Other ethicists disagree. In our view, both sides of the debate have an inadequate understanding ...

Search for a safe and effective analgesic is long and elusive. Buprenorphine was marketed as a potent and non-addictive narcotic drug. In recent years there have been various case reports highlighting its abuse potential. As the drug will be used more widely and particularly with its use in the detoxification of heroin dependence there is an eminent possibility of its abuse at larger scale in f...

OBJECTIVES This study determined the cost-effectiveness of expanding methadone maintenance treatment for heroin addiction, particularly its effect on the HIV epidemic. METHODS We developed a dynamic epidemic model to study the effects of increased methadone maintenance capacity on health care costs and survival, measured as quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). We considered communities with H...

The functioning of reward in drug addicts is a major issue both in terms of pathophysiology and in a rehabilitative view. We used a PET imaging device to assess the hedonic functioning of methadone maintained heroin addicts, compared to control subjects, by two modalities: 1) the elicitation of interest by anticipated monetary reward; 2) the neuroimaging correlates of visually elicited pleasure...