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Impaired working memory performance in opioid-dependent patients is related to reduced insula gray matter volume: a voxel-based morphometric study

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Abstract

Opioid-dependent patients frequently show deficits in multiple cognitive domains that might impact on their everyday life performance and interfere with therapeutic efforts. To date, the neurobiological underpinnings of those deficits remain to be determined. We investigated working memory performance and gray matter volume (GMV) differences in 17 patients on opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) and 17 healthy individuals using magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based morphometry. In addition, we explored associations between substance intake, gray matter volume, and working memory task performance. Patients on OMT committed more errors during the working memory task than healthy individuals and showed smaller insula and putamen GMV. The duration of heroin use prior to OMT was associated with working memory performance and insula GMV in patients. Neither the substitution agent (methadone and buprenorphine) nor concurrent abuse of illegal substances during the 3 months prior to the experiment was significantly associated with GMV. Results indicate that impaired working memory performance and structural deficits in the insula of opioid-dependent patients are related to the duration of heroin use. This suggests that early inclusion into OMT or abstinence-oriented therapies that shorten the period of heroin abuse may limit the impairments to GMV and cognitive performance of opioid-dependent individuals.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Michael Rieß, Christian Vollmert, and Oliver Klein for their assistance in data collection. We also like to thank U. Schmid for language editing and proof-reading.

Funding

The current study was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, TRR 265).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany

    Patrick Bach, Ulrich Frischknecht, Nina Bekier, Sabine Vollstädt-Klein, Falk Kiefer & Derik Hermann

  2. Department of Biostatistics, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

    Iris Reinhard

  3. Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany

    Traute Demirakca & Gabriele Ende

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  1. Patrick Bach
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Correspondence to Patrick Bach.

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Conflict of interest

The current study was conducted without additional financial support from any external research bodies. Outside the submitted work, Derik Hermann received honoraria for participating in advisory boards of the pharmaceutical companies Indivior, Camurus, and Servier. All other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Bach, P., Frischknecht, U., Reinhard, I. et al. Impaired working memory performance in opioid-dependent patients is related to reduced insula gray matter volume: a voxel-based morphometric study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 271, 813–822 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-019-01052-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-019-01052-7

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