Dysregulation of emotional response in current and abstinent heroin users: negative heightening and positive blunting.
OBJECTIVE
Evidence suggests that abstinent opioid users have abnormal emotional response to natural reinforcing stimuli, but little is known about the emotional response of subjects currently using heroin. Abnormal emotional experience could underlie poor sensitivity to negative events related to heroin use and reduced ability to consider alternative reinforcers to help overcome addiction. In this paper, we will assess the subjective response of current and abstinent heroin users exposed to emotionally competent positive and negative stimuli.


METHODS
We administered the "Clinical Instrument for Emotional Response Evaluation" (including neutral, pleasant, and unpleasant images from the International Affective Picture System) to 22 current opioid users enrolled in a clinical trial using controlled prescribed heroin and 41 abstinent opioid users enrolled in residential treatment. The dependent variable was their subjective response to the images measured with the Self-Assessment Manikin, a scale designed to rate the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) images in the three dimensions of emotion: valence, arousal, and dominance. We compared these ratings with IAPS normative values for healthy participants.


RESULTS
Significant group x emotional condition interactions were found in the arousal dimension. Post-hoc tests showed that compared to healthy participants, both current and abstinent heroin users had greater emotional response to neutral images and lower response to pleasant images. Furthermore, current opioid users had higher emotional response to unpleasant images when compared to healthy participants and lower response to pleasant images when compared to abstinent users.


CONCLUSIONS
Current opioid users have abnormal emotional experience, characterized by heightened response to unpleasant stimuli and blunted response to pleasant stimuli.
Aguilar de Arcos
Francisco
F
Dept. Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamiento Psicológico, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain. aguilardearcos@yahoo.es
Verdejo-García
Antonio
A
Ceverino
Antonio
A
Montañez-Pareja
Matilde
M
López-Juárez
Encarnación
E
Sánchez-Barrera
María
M
López-Jiménez
Angeles
A
Pérez-García
Miguel
M
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D009294:Narcotics; D008691:Methadone