Exploration of Cognitive Impairment Variability in Patients with Opioid Use Disorder

Grant E. DuVall*, James J. Mahoney III, and Erin L. Winstanley
West Virginia University, School of Medicine and Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry, 930 Chestnut Ridge Road, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States

Presentation No.: 120

Assigned Category (Presentation Format): Social & Behavioral Sciences (Poster Presentations)

Student’s Major: Biology

It has been estimated that people with opioid use disorders (OUD) experience, on average, 3-6 non-fatal overdoses, causing brain abnormalities and neurocognitive impairments. An opioid overdose causes decreased respiration and without rapid medical intervention, the brain can injure due low oxygen. This project's aim is to identify factors that may explain variable neurocognitive functioning in patients with OUD such as risky drug behaviors, polysubstance use, and overdose circumstances. This study is a secondary analysis of a case control study (n=69) of neurocognitive impairments associated with opioid-related overdose. The primary outcome variable is cognitive impairment (CI) measured using the fully corrected NIH Cognition Toolbox Battery, a standardized instrument used to evaluate cognitive functioning across domains which are often impaired in substance users. Stata SE Version 15 will be used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics will summarize the participant characteristics and multi-variable logistic regression used to model factors associated with CI. The confounding factors known to be associated with CI are variable and further research is needed to determine risk gradients for substance use and overdose.

Funding:

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's SURE program (Rita Rio & Michelle Richards-Babb)