title: The prescription opioid, oxycodone, does not alter behavioral measures of impulsivity in healthy volunteers.
abstract: This study examined the effects of oral oxycodone, a prescription opioid, on several measures of impulsive behavior in healthy volunteers. Volunteers (n=12) participated in a four-session, double-blind, randomized design in which they received capsules containing oxycodone (5, 10, and 20 mg) or placebo. From 70 min to approximately 120 min after ingesting the capsules, subjects completed five impulsivity tasks: delay and probability discounting task, balloon analogue risk task (BART), go/no-go task, stop task, and simple reaction time test. Mood questionnaires were also completed at fixed time points in the sessions. Oxycodone produced prototypic changes in mood in a dose-related manner, but did not affect performance on any of the impulsivity tasks. Lack of effect on impulsivity stands in contrast to other studies in which other psychoactive drugs including ethanol, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and amphetamine altered behavior on one or more behavioral measures of impulsivity.
authors: Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, MC4028, The University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. jzacny@dacc.uchicago.edu
authors: James P
authors: JP
authors: Zacny
authors: Harriet
authors: H
authors: de Wit
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D010098:Oxycodone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012201:Reward; D012945:Social Values; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D010098:Oxycodone