title: Decision-making ability in current and past users of opiates: A meta-analysis.
abstract: Opiate use is associated with deficits in decision-making. However, the impact of abstinence and co-morbid factors, like head injury and poly-substance abuse, on this ability, is currently unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to assess 1) the magnitude of decision-making deficits in opiate users; 2) whether co-morbid factors moderate the severity of these deficits; 3) whether ex-opiate users demonstrate smaller decision-making deficits than current users; and 4) whether the length of abstinence is related to the magnitude of decision-making deficits. We analysed 22 studies that compared the performance of current and ex-opiate users to healthy controls on decision-making measures such as the Iowa Gambling Task. Current users demonstrated a moderately strong impairment in decision-making relative to controls, which was not significantly moderated by co-morbid factors. The magnitude of the impairment did not significantly differ between studies assessing current or ex-users, and this impairment was not related to length of abstinence. Thus, it appears that opiate users have relatively severe decision-making deficits that persist at least 1.5 years after cessation of use.
authors.affiliation: Cognition and Emotion Research Centre, School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: Kathryn.Biernacki@acu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Biernacki
authors.affiliation: Cognition and Emotion Research Centre, School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Skye N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: McLennan
authors.affiliation: Cognition and Emotion Research Centre, School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Gill
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Terrett
authors.affiliation: Cognition and Emotion Research Centre, School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Izelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Labuschagne
authors.affiliation: Cognition and Emotion Research Centre, School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Rendell
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D005715:Gambling; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D053610:Opiate Alkaloids; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders
chemical_list: D053610:Opiate Alkaloids
keywords: Abstinent; Addiction; Cognition; Decision-making; Heroin; Impulsivity; Opiate