title: Behavioural approach tendencies to heroin-related stimuli in abstinent heroin abusers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drug-related cues can elicit approach responses in drug users. However, no relevant research has ever concerned heroin abusers. In the present study, we investigated whether the abstinent heroin abusers demonstrated special behavioural tendencies to approach or avoid the drug-related stimuli compared with neutral stimuli.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two male abstinent heroin abusers (AH) and 20 healthy males (NC) were tested by a Pull/Push Task. Participants pulled (approach response) or pushed (avoidance response) a lever in response to the content of stimulus pictures (i.e. heroin-related versus neutral). The approach and avoidance scores were therefore calculated based on response times and directions to reflect their behavioural tendencies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Relative to the NC individuals, the AH individuals demonstrated significantly heightened tendencies to approach ("pull") the heroin-related stimuli in comparison with the neutral stimuli, while their tendencies to avoid ("push") the heroin-related stimuli were marginally blunted, reflecting a special bias for AH individuals to behaviourally approach, and simultaneously resist to avoid, heroin-related cues.
authors: Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Zhejiang University, Xixi Campus, Hang Zhou 310028, People's Republic of China.
authors: Yanyan
authors: Y
authors: Zhou
authors: Xinyu
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Meng
authors: M
authors: Zhang
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Zhang
authors: Chen
authors: C
authors: Zhu
authors: Mowei
authors: M
authors: Shen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003463:Cues; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time