Methadone maintenance treatment and impulsivity: premature responding.

INTRODUCTION: Previous research showed that methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is linked to impulsivity, with higher impulsivity levels being associated with for example, increased drug use. One aspect of impulsivity, most commonly studied in rodent research, is premature responding, the failure to wait for a starting signal. Premature responding is of high translational significance since it predicts the development of addiction-like behaviors in rodents. METHODS: We assessed 45 MMT patients and 46 demographically matched (age, sex, education, and handedness) healthy volunteers (HVs) on premature responding alongside action and inhibition of instructed and intentional trials using the Intentional Hand Task (IHT). RESULTS: The results showed markedly enhanced premature responses in the MMT vs. the HV group, which correlated positively with methadone dosage in the MMT patients. Throughout the task, MMT patients were faster across all trial parts and less accurate in response to instructed trials compared to HVs. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in premature motor reactions during variable waiting periods alongside increased motion speed and lower accuracy might reflect a specific motor inhibition deficit in MMT, a subcomponent of impulsivity not previously assessed in MMT. Incorporating an experimentally defined measure of impulsivity, such as premature responding, into existing test batteries used by clinicians might enable more tailored treatments addressing the increased impulsivity levels and associated dysfunctional behaviors in MMT.

Internet behavior patterns of adolescents before, during, and after COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has affected the mental health of adolescents. To describe the Internet behavior-changing patterns of adolescents and to understand the impact of clinical features on changing patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional cohort study using data collected through online investigation in China. A total of 625 adolescents completed the online survey from May 15 to June 7, 2020. The adolescents were asked to retrospect to the Internet behaviors and game behaviors of three time periods as follows: before the COVID-19 outbreak in China, during the COVID-19 outbreak in China, and back to school. The clinical variables of the demographic data, family functionality, and emotional and behavioral symptoms were also collected. According to the Internet behaviors and game behaviors patterns across the three time periods, the subjects will be sub-grouped. Results: Four Internet behavior-changing patterns during the COVID-19 was identified: (1) Continuous Normal Group (55.52%); (2) Normal to Internet Addiction Group (5.28%); (3) Internet Addiction to Normal Group (14.56%); and (4) Continuous Internet Addiction Group (24.64%). Years of education, academic score ranking, family functionality, and emotional and behavioral symptoms were different across the four groups. Proportions of game behaviors, scores of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and SDQ subscale during the period before the COVID-19 outbreak were significant in predicting changing patterns. Conclusion: The Internet behavior patterns of adolescents during the COVID-19 period were various. Clinical features before the COVID-19 pandemic may predict changing patterns. The heterogeneity in characteristics between different changing patterns should be considered when intervening in adolescents' problematic Internet behavior.

The Maternal Microbiome Programs the m6A Epitranscriptome of the Mouse Fetal Brain and Intestine.

The microbiome exerts profound effects on fetal development and health, yet the mechanisms underlying remain elusive. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays important roles in developmental regulation. Although it has been shown that the microbiome affects the mRNA m6A modification of the host, it remains unclear whether the maternal microbiome affects m6A epitranscriptome of the fetus so as to impact fetal development. Here, we found that loss of the maternal microbiome altered the expression of m6A writers and erasers, as well as the m6A methylome of the mouse fetal brain and intestine on embryonic day 18. From the m6A profiles, we identified 2,655 and 2,252 m6A modifications regulated by the maternal microbiome in the fetal brain and intestine, respectively, and we demonstrated that these m6A-modified genes were enriched in the neuro/intestinal developmental pathways, such as the Wnt signaling pathway. Finally, we verified that antibiotic treatment mostly recapitulated changes in m6A, and we further showed that the loss of heterozygosity of Mettl3 rescued m6A levels and the expression changes of some developmental genes in the fetal intestine that resulted from antibiotic treatment. Collectively, our data revealed that the maternal microbiome programs the m6A epitranscriptome of the mouse fetal brain and intestine.

The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention on Chinese Methamphetamine Dependent Patients: A Pilot Study.

Methamphetamine use is a serious problem in China. Compulsory isolation detoxification is the main treatment measure for drug dependents, whereas psychological interventions in compulsory isolation detoxification centers are extremely inadequate. The current study aimed to examine the effects of mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) on methamphetamine dependence patients in Chinese compulsory isolation detoxification treatment institutions. Forty-one methamphetamine dependent patients received 16-sessions of MBRP in 8 weeks and assessments were conducted at the baseline, 4-, 8-week (after the whole intervention). Results of repeated measured ANOVAs showed there was no significant effect on emotions and cravings. Findings indicated that the effects of MBRP are still difficult to make firm conclusions due to the insignificant results. Future studies should modify the MBRP and ensure that it is suitable for compulsory isolation detoxification treatment institutions in China.

Impulsivity and craving in subjects with opioid use disorder on methadone maintenance treatment.

BACKGROUND: Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is effective in decreasing opioid use or facilitating abstinence. Previous studies using small opioid use disorder samples suggest that cognitive impairments including impulsivity and executive functions may partially improve on MMT, but a range of deficits may persist. However, systematic assessments with larger samples are needed to confirm the profile of cognitive functions on MMT. METHODS: We assessed four types of impulsivity (delay discounting, reflection impulsivity, risk taking and motoric impulsivity), executive functioning (spatial working memory, paired associative learning and strategic planning) and drug cue-induced craving in a relatively large population (115 MMT patients, 115 healthy controls). The relationships between impulsivity, drug cue-induced craving and addiction-related variables were also assessed. RESULTS: Delay discounting, as well as drug cue-induced craving was increased in patients, while motoric impulsivity was lower than in controls. Paired associative learning was additionally impaired, which was explained by increased depression and anxiety levels in patients. Within the MMT group, the delay discounting and drug-cue induced craving scores were positively correlated with self-reported urgency, but unrelated to methadone dosage, duration on methadone, withdrawal symptoms, or presence of nicotine dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight increased delay discounting and cue-induced craving in MMT patients suggesting a potential role for trait effects in delay discounting. Although previous smaller studies have shown impaired executive function, in our large sample size on chronic MMT we only observed impaired associative learning related to depressive and anxiety symptoms highlighting a role for managing comorbid symptoms to further optimize cognitive function.

The Chinese version of obsessive compulsive drug use scale: validation in outpatient methadone maintenance treatment program.

BACKGROUND: The Obsessive Compulsive Drug Use Scale (OCDUS) measures the overall craving level within a period from a multidimensional perspective. However, no studies have addressed the validity of the new OCDUS factor structure, presented in 2016, in China. Additionally, there is lack of evidence on the interaction among risk factors for relapse. We aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the scores of the Chinese version of the OCDUS in patients with heroin dependence receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Further, we aimed to assess the correlations of the OCDUS scores with withdrawal symptoms, depression, anxiety, and nicotine dependence. METHODS: We enrolled 113 adults (age 32-64 years) and administered them with the OCDUS, Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (SOWS), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis identified a 3-dimensional component that included "Frequency of craving," "Inference of heroin," and "Control of heroin." These factors showed acceptable internal consistency, adequate item-total correlations, and significant item-subscale correlations. There was no correlation between the OCUDS scores and age, education, duration of receiving MMT, and MMT dosages. However, there was a significant correlation between the OCDUS total scores and the SOWS, STAI, BDI-II, and FTND scores. The scores of all the subscales were associated with the SOWS scores; further, the scores of the first two subscales were associated with BDI-II scores while only the scores of the first subscale were associated with the FTND scores. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the reliability and structure validity of the OCDUS scores. Heroin craving, withdrawal symptoms, negative emotions, and nicotine dependence, which are considered as risk factors for heroin relapse, might interact with each other. There is a need for further studies on the underlying mechanism of these clinical phenomena.

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese version of UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale. The associations between the UPPS-P scale and impulsivity choice, gender, smoking, and drinking status were also assessed. METHODS: A total of 127 adults ranging from 21 to 65 years old participated in the study. Participants were administered with the Chinese version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Impulsivity choice tasks were also tested including the Delay Discounting Task (DDT), Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), and Beads Task (Beads). RESULTS: A new version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale was formed that includes 40 items. The scores of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency on five subscales but less sufficient structure validity in the present sample. In addition, positive urgency was negatively related to the Beads task; negative urgency and positive urgency were positively related to the DDT and BART. Moreover, positive and negative urgency were positively correlated with depression; all five subscales were positively correlated with anxiety; sensation seeking was higher in males than females and in alcohol drinkers than non-drinkers; and lack of premeditation and lack of perseverance were higher in nonsmokers than smokers. CONCLUSIONS: The present study supports the reliability but not the structure validity of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale. The impulsivity personality trait assessed by the UPPS-P scale was associated with impulsivity choice, depression, anxiety, gender, and drinking and smoking status. Further studies should be conducted to explore the structure of impulsivity in the Chinese population.