Effects of Length of Abstinence on Decision-Making and Craving in Methamphetamine Abusers

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 8; no. 7; p. e68791
• Main Authors: Wang, Guibin, Shi, Jie, Chen, Na, Xu, Lingzhi, Li, Jiali, Li, Peng, Sun, Yan, Lu, Lin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 24.07.2013; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Abstinence; Addictions; Adult; Alcohol; Anxiety; Behavior, Addictive - physiopathology; Behavior, Addictive - psychology; Biology; Clinical decision making; Cocaine; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cues; Decision making; Decision Making - physiology; Drug abuse; Drug addiction; Emotions; Gambling; Heroin; Humans; Impulsive behavior; Impulsive Behavior - physiopathology; Impulsive Behavior - psychology; Impulsivity; Laboratories; Male; Medicine; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Methamphetamine; Methamphetamine - toxicity; Mood; Neurosciences; Rehabilitation; Short term; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Studies; Time Factors; Beijing China; China
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068791

The majority of drug abusers are incapable of sustaining abstinence over any length of time. Accumulating evidence has linked intense and involuntary craving, Impulsive decision-making and mood disturbances to risk for relapse. However, little is known about temporal changes of these neuropsychological functions in methamphetamine (METH)-dependent individuals. To investigate the effect of length of abstinence on decision-making, craving (baseline and cue-induced), and emotional state in METH-addicted individuals. In this cross-sectional study, 183 adult METH-dependent patients at an addiction rehabilitation center who were abstinent for 6 days (n = 37), 14 days (n = 33), 1 month (n = 31), 3 months (n = 30), 6 months (n = 26), or 1 year (n = 30) and 39 healthy subjects were administered the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to assess decision-making performance. Depression, anxiety, and impulsivity were also examined. One hundred thirty-nine METH abusers who were abstinent for the aforementioned times then underwent a cue session, and subjective and physiological measures were assessed. METH dependent individuals who were abstinent for longer periods of time exhibited better decision-making than those who were abstinent for shorter periods of time. And self-reported emotional symptoms improved with abstinence. METH abusers' ratings of craving decreased with the duration of abstinence, while cue-induced craving increased until 3 months of abstinence and decreased at 6 months and 1 year of abstinence. We present time-dependent alterations in decision-making, emotional state, and the incubation of cue-induced craving in METH-dependent individuals, which might have significant clinical implications for the prevention of relapse.