title: Absence of neurocognitive impairment in a large Chinese sample of HCV-infected injection drug users receiving methadone treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prior research has demonstrated neuropsychological (NP) impairment in persons with histories of injection drug use (IDU), hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and methadone maintenance treatment (MMT), individually, but little is known about the NP effects of these three risk factors in combination. This issue is particularly important in China, which is addressing its highly HCV-comorbid IDU epidemic with widespread government sponsored MMT, especially in light of recent evidence suggesting that methadone may be neuroprotective in some circumstances.
  
  
  METHODS
  We administered a comprehensive NP test battery to 195 Chinese heroin IDU individuals taking MMT (IDU+ group), the majority of whom were also HCV+ (87%; n=169), and compared their NP performance to that of 198 demographically comparable, non-IDU Chinese controls (IDU- group). All participants in both groups tested negative for HIV infection, which is also a common comorbidity in the Chinese IDU population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The IDU+ group did not have an increased rate of global NP impairment, or perform significantly worse on any individual NP test measure. Within the IDU+ group, liver disease characteristics and reported details of heroin use were not significantly associated with NP performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Failure to detect NP impairment in IDU+ subjects with or without HCV infection was surprising, particularly considering the previously demonstrated sensitivity of our NP battery to neurocognitive disorders associated with HIV infection in China. One possible explanation, which should be explored in future research, is the potential neuroprotective effect of methadone in the context of HCV infection and/or heroin withdrawal.
authors: HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), University of California San Diego, CA, USA; Gupta Psychology & Assessment Services, USA.
authors: Saurabh
authors: S
authors: Gupta
authors: HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), University of California San Diego, CA, USA.
authors: Jennifer E
authors: JE
authors: Iudicello
authors: The Institute of Mental Health at Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors: Chuan
authors: C
authors: Shi
authors: HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), University of California San Diego, CA, USA.
authors: Scott
authors: S
authors: Letendre
authors: HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), University of California San Diego, CA, USA.
authors: Adam
authors: A
authors: Knight
authors: China Yunnan Institute of Drug Abuse, Kunming, China.
authors: Jianhua
authors: J
authors: Li
authors: HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), University of California San Diego, CA, USA.
authors: Patricia K
authors: PK
authors: Riggs
authors: HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), University of California San Diego, CA, USA.
authors: Donald R
authors: DR
authors: Franklin
authors: HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), University of California San Diego, CA, USA; Gupta Psychology & Assessment Services, USA.
authors: Nichole
authors: N
authors: Duarte
authors: HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), University of California San Diego, CA, USA; VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors: Hua
authors: H
authors: Jin
authors: VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA; HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), University of California San Diego, CA, USA.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Hampton Atkinson
authors: The Institute of Mental Health at Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Yu
authors: China Centers for Disease Control (China CDC), Beijing, China.
authors: Zunyou
authors: Z
authors: Wu
authors: HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), University of California San Diego, CA, USA.
authors: Igor
authors: I
authors: Grant
authors: HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP), University of California San Diego, CA, USA. Electronic address: rheaton@ucsd.edu.
authors: Robert K
authors: RK
authors: Heaton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment / Q000523:psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D008691:Methadone
keywords: China; HCV; Injection drugs; Neurocognitive impairment