Clinical Centre of Vojvodina, Institute of Psychiatry, Novi Sad, Serbia.
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2011 May;15(5):524-31.
Heroin abuse can lead to organic damage of cerebral structures, including sequels in cognitive and affective sphere, which are in positive relation with the duration of substance usage. Memory is one of the cognitive functions which is highly sensitive to opiate toxic effects. The aim of this research was determination of heroin impact on the visual memory of addicts, as well as the existence of specific relation of potential deficiencies in visual memory with the duration of substance use.
The research included 90 examinees, divided into three groups, depending on the duration of heroin intake. We used questionnaire for basic socio-demographic and addictological traits of examinees; Wechsler's scale for the assessment of the intelligence and Visual Memory Test (TVP), for the assessment of the visual memory.
The achievements of heroin addicts with different duration of the substance abuse differ significantly (F = 1.83; df = 12; p < 0.05). Total number of errors examinees make in the first series of TVP (immediate visual memory) grows, almost linearly in the function of the duration of heroin abuse (p < 0.05), but in neither of groups meets criteria for the visual memory impairment. Deficiency of the delayed visual memory occurs in examinees who use heroin for one (total number of errors = 6.46; participation of typical organic errors = 31.7%) and longer than five years (total number of errors = 7.66; participation of typical organic errors = 26.7%). Univariate covariance analysis separates the average daily dosage of heroin as the most significant variable that contributes to the expression of the aforementioned deficiencies (F = 4.21; df = 2; p < 0.05).
Heroin abuse leads to damage of delayed visual memory, whereby for the observed effect intake of the substance for a period longer than one year is necessary.
海洛因滥用可导致大脑结构的器质性损伤，包括认知和情感领域的后遗症，这些后遗症与物质使用时间呈正相关。记忆是对阿片类药物毒性作用高度敏感的认知功能之一。本研究的目的是确定海洛因对吸毒者视觉记忆的影响，以及潜在视觉记忆缺陷与物质使用时间之间存在特定关系的可能性。
研究包括 90 名受试者，根据海洛因摄入时间的长短分为三组。我们使用问卷评估了受试者的基本社会人口学和成瘾特征；我们使用了韦氏量表评估智力，使用视觉记忆测试（TVP）评估视觉记忆。
不同海洛因滥用时间的吸毒者的成绩差异显著（F = 1.83；df = 12；p < 0.05）。在 TVP 的第一系列（即时视觉记忆）中，受测者的错误总数随着海洛因滥用时间的增加呈线性增长（p < 0.05），但在任何一组中，都没有达到视觉记忆障碍的标准。在使用海洛因一年（错误总数= 6.46；典型有机错误参与率= 31.7%）和一年以上的受测者中，出现了延迟视觉记忆缺陷（错误总数= 7.66；典型有机错误参与率= 26.7%）。单变量协方差分析将海洛因的平均日剂量分离出来，作为导致上述缺陷表达的最重要变量（F = 4.21；df = 2；p < 0.05）。
海洛因滥用会导致延迟视觉记忆受损，而要观察到这种效应，需要摄入该物质超过一年的时间。
