Cognitive Functioning in Formerly Opioid-Dependent Adults after At Least 1 Year of Abstinence: A Naturalistic Study.

This study is an evaluation of cognitive functioning in formerly opioid-dependent adults after at least 1 year of abstinence. Participants (45 formerly opioid-dependent patients, referred to as abstainers, and 45 matched healthy controls) completed a structured screening and subsequent cognitive test battery covering intelligence, learning and memory, attention, and executive functions. Many cognitive functions were comparable between long-term abstainers and healthy controls, and we found few relevant differences. Long-term abstainers seem to have subtle deficits in recognition performance. Based on our and earlier findings, opioid maintenance treatment may be seen as relatively safe with respect to cognitive dysfunction and cognitive functioning is of great relevance for the rehabilitation and daily functioning of substance-dependent people.