P300 ASSESSMENT OF OPIATE AND COCAINE USERS - EFFECTS OF DETOXIFICATION AND BUPRENORPHINE TREATMENT

We assessed cognitive function following heroin and cocaine detoxifica tion and investigated whether buprenorphine treatment improves the-dis ruptive effects of detoxification. Three groups of male volunteers mee ting DSM-III-R criteria for concurrent opiate and cocaine dependence w ere tested using an auditory oddball paradigm before and after detoxif ication, and again on the 15th day of either buprenorphine or placebo treatment. There were no significant differences in P300 amplitude, la tency, or topographic distribution between drug-dependent subjects and control on admission day. Following detoxification there was a signif icant decrease in P300 amplitude in the drug-dependent group at a time when self-reported signs of withdrawal were minimal. Buprenorphine tr eatment significantly reversed the P300 amplitude decrement following detoxification, whereas placebo-treated subjects continued to show dep ressed P300 amplitudes. These data demonstrate that buprenorphine trea tment is effective in eliminating detoxification-induced impairments i n one measure of cognitive ability.