Affiliations 

  • 1 Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia
J Ethn Subst Abuse, 2025 Feb 16.
PMID: 39955636 DOI: 10.1080/15332640.2025.2457618

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The use of non-medical opioids has reached 60 million in 2021. Methadone-assisted treatment (MAT) is a widely used harm-reduction strategy for opioid addiction. However, methadone can cause cognitive impairment, which can impede treatment.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between July 1st and July 31, 2023. A total of 114 participants, comprising 76 MAT patients and 38 healthy subjects (controls), were recruited. Sociodemographic questionnaire, DSM-5 and neuropsychiatric cognitive (NUCOG) assessments were used. A general linear model was used to examine cognitive function between the MMT and control groups while controlling for all possible confounders.

RESULTS: The MAT group performed significantly lower on the NUCOG total score (p 

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.