Behavioural approach tendencies to heroin-related stimuli in abstinent heroin abusers.

RATIONALE

Drug-related cues can elicit approach responses in drug users. However, no relevant research has ever concerned heroin abusers. In the present study, we investigated whether the abstinent heroin abusers demonstrated special behavioural tendencies to approach or avoid the drug-related stimuli compared with neutral stimuli.

METHOD

Twenty-two male abstinent heroin abusers (AH) and 20 healthy males (NC) were tested by a Pull/Push Task. Participants pulled (approach response) or pushed (avoidance response) a lever in response to the content of stimulus pictures (i.e. heroin-related versus neutral). The approach and avoidance scores were therefore calculated based on response times and directions to reflect their behavioural tendencies.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Relative to the NC individuals, the AH individuals demonstrated significantly heightened tendencies to approach ("pull") the heroin-related stimuli in comparison with the neutral stimuli, while their tendencies to avoid ("push") the heroin-related stimuli were marginally blunted, reflecting a special bias for AH individuals to behaviourally approach, and simultaneously resist to avoid, heroin-related cues.