Assessment of brain structural changes in patients with opium dependence disorder on methadone maintenance treatment, opium tincture treatment and healthy individuals

Introduction: Methadone maintenance and opium tincture treatments has been recommended as harm reduction strategies for opioid-dependent patients in Iran. However, the effects of long-term administration of methadone and opium tincture on the brain are not fully understood. In this study we investigated the effects of methadone and opium tincture maintenance treatments on the brain volumes of former opium addicts by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumetry of brain compared to healthy participants. Materials and Methods: The present case-control study was performed in Mashhad, Iran in 2015-2017. Via convenient sampling method, 36 participants were selected and allocated in 3 equal groups (methadone maintenance treatment, opium tincture treatment, and normal control). The volumes of gray matter, frontal lobe, temporal lobe, cingulate gyrus, limbic system, amygdala, and hippocampus of all participants were assessed using MRI volumetry. Data analyzed by ANOVA, using SPSS software (ver. 16). Results: There were no significant statistical differences between mean volumes of any assessed region of the brain among three groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: Methadone maintenance treatment and opium tincture treatment have no hazardous effects on the volumes of gray matter, frontal lobe, temporal lobe, cingulate gyrus, limbic system, amygdala, and hippocampus of former opium addicts.