Adversity, Brain and Opioid Use Study

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN · Apr 4, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The Adversity, Brain and Opioid Use Study is looking at how childhood experiences and opioid use disorder (OUD) may affect how adults learn and remember things. Researchers want to see how well people with OUD, those taking buprenorphine for pain, and healthy adults without any opioid use issues perform on tasks that involve learning and memory. This study aims to help us understand the connection between brain function and these experiences.

To participate, you need to be right-handed, able to give consent, and have normal vision and hearing. There are three groups in this study: one for adults diagnosed with OUD who are currently taking buprenorphine, another for those taking buprenorphine for chronic pain without any substance use disorder, and a third group of healthy adults who are not on buprenorphine and have no major medical or mental health issues. Participants will undergo brain scans while completing learning tasks, and they'll need to meet certain health and safety criteria, such as being free from serious medical conditions and not being claustrophobic. This research could provide valuable insights into how our experiences shape our brains and behaviors.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria for all groups:
• • Right handed
• • Able to give informed consent
• • Normal/corrected-to-normal vision and hearing
• Inclusion Criteria for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) group:
• • Diagnosis of OUD
• • Be actively receiving buprenorphine (BUP) for opioid agonist therapy
• • Be free from illicit substance use for at least 2 weeks
• • The study will allow stable dose (\> 3 months) of commonly prescribed psychiatric medications and some sleep aids (per protocol)
• Inclusion Criteria for the BUP control group:
• • Taking BUP for chronic pain
• • No Substance Use Disorder (including OUD)
• • The study will allow stable dose (\> 3 months) of commonly prescribed psychiatric medications and some sleep aids (per protocol)
• Inclusion Criteria for Healthy participant group:
• • Not taking BUP
• • Free of any psychiatric or major medical conditions
• Exclusion Criteria for all groups:
• • Significant medical or neurologic conditions (e.g., stroke, seizures, multiple sclerosis)
• • Actively suicidal
• • Contraindication for MRI
• • Inability to tolerate small, enclosed spaces without anxiety
• • Life history of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, learning disability, attention deficit disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder
• • Use of substances or prescription medications that could interfere with measures of interest (per protocol)
• • Unable to provide informed consent
• • Participants who have completed other studies in our lab involving learning and memory assessments with the same/similar tasks used here (HUM00230585, HUM00121812) will not be eligible to complete the current study, due to possible learning/practice effects
• • Unable to fit comfortably in the MRI scanner due to body size (typically men over 6 feet tall that weigh more than 250 lbs, men under 6 feet tall that weigh over 220 lbs, women over 5'11" tall that weigh more than 220 lbs, or women under 5'10" tall that weigh more than 200 lbs).