title: A comparison of cognitive function in patients under maintenance treatment with heroin, methadone, or buprenorphine and healthy controls: an open pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cognitive impairment has been reported in drug-dependent patients under opioid maintenance treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare cognitive functioning in healthy controls and in opioid-dependent patients treated with Buprenorphine, Heroin, or methadone maintenance.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the standardized test battery ART-90 to study cognitive function in patients under long-term heroin treatment (n = 20), Bup (n = 22), or Met (n = 24) maintenance treatment and healthy controls (n = 25).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients receiving heroin performed significantly worse than healthy controls in most domains. Heroin patients performed worse than patients in the other two treatment groups in subtests measuring psychomotor performance under stress conditions and monotony.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although a number of limitations must be taken into account, this study provides some preliminary evidence that cognitive function may be more impaired in patients under heroin maintenance treatment than in patients receiving Bup or Met and in healthy controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany. Michael.Soyka@privatklinik-meiringen.ch
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soyka
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Limmer
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lehnert
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koller
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Küfner
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kagerer
authors.forename: Annina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haberthür
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D003932:Heroin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002047:Buprenorphine; D003932:Heroin; D008691:Methadone