Assessment of Cognitive Functions in Methadone Maintenance Patients

Background: methadone maintenance has received little scientific attention regarding neurocognitive effects. this study is aimed to assess the neuropsychological performance of methadone maintenance patients (mmp) compared to those healthy controls. methods: thirty-five mmp and 35 healthy controls, matched for age, gender, education and employment status, examined on a battery of tests aimed at assessing verbal fluency, executive functions, verbal memory, and working memory, using controlled oral word association test (cowat), trial making test (tmt) part a and b, rey auditory verbal learning test (ravlt), and backward digit span. findings: mmp performed significantly poorly than controls in cognitive domains of verbal fluency, executive function, and verbal memory. mmp did not exhibit impairment in working memory, and tmt part a compared to controls. conclusion: these results suggest that methadone consumption induces significant cognitive impairment that could compromise drug-treatment outcomes in mmp.