Drug-related cues exacerbate decision making and increase craving in heroin addicts at different abstinence times.

Background: Relapse is a persistent problem in the management of addiction. Drug-related cues are powerful instigators of relapse. Impulsive decision making may contribute to relapse through a poorly considered assessment of the consequences of drug use. Drug cues robustly increase subjective craving, which is frequently associated with relapse.

Objective: The present study explored the effects of drug-related cues on decision making and craving in heroin addicts at different abstinence times: 1, 3, 12, and 24 months.

Methods: The 75 male participants were given 5 min exposure to neutral and drug-associated cues while decision making performance, craving, blood pressure, heart rate, and emotional state pre- and post-exposure were assessed. The Iowa Gambling Task was used to evaluate decision making ability in heroin addicts.

Results: Drug-related cues exacerbated impulsive decision making and increased craving, heart rate, and systolic pressure in heroin addicts at all abstinence times.

Conclusions: Drug-related cues aggravated decision making and increased craving in former heroin addicts who had been drug-free for 1-24 months, which might have significant clinical implications for the prevention of relapse.