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Verbal working memory deficits in abstinent heroin abusers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2014

Zhao-Xin Wang ,
Zhuang-Wei Xiao ,
Da-Ren Zhang ,
Chun-Yu Liang  and
John X. Zhang
Zhao-Xin Wang
Affiliation:
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong, China Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
Zhuang-Wei Xiao*
Affiliation:
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong, China
Da-Ren Zhang
Affiliation:
Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
Chun-Yu Liang
Affiliation:
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong, China
John X. Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China
*
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Shantou University, Shantou 515041, China. Tel/Fax: +86 754 861 2318; E-mail: xiaozw@vip.163.com
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Abstract

Background:

A prevailing belief is that opioids tend not to impair cognitive performance in opioid-dependent users. However, the impact of heroin abuse on verbal memory, especially on working memory, is not well studied and the results available are inconsistent.

Objective:

This study was carried out to test the hypothesis that abstinent heroin abusers have intact working memory capacity.

Methods:

N-back task and backward digit span task were used to measure the verbal working memory capacity in 28 abstinent heroin abusers and 25 controls matched for age, education level and gender. Forward digit span task was used as a control task to measure short-term memory capacity.

Results:

Compared with the control subjects, heroin abusers showed normal backward/forward digit spans but significant performance impairment in the n-back task.

Conclusion:

Abstinent heroin abusers have intact short-term memory capacity but impaired verbal working memory capacity.

Keywords

digit spandrug abuseheroinn-back taskworking memory
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 20 , Issue 5 , October 2008 , pp. 265 - 268
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Blackwell Munksgaard

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