| ntroduction: Patients commonly complain of subjective side effects of opioid use, including forgetfulness, slowed processing speed, confusion, and sedation—which have raised concerns about potential cognitive impairment. However, research on the effects of opioids on objective neuropsychological performance is thus far equivocal and, unfortunately, many of the studies cited as support for opioid-related impairment do not fully account for the neuropsychological effects of chronic pain, which has been shown to affect many of the same neuropsychological domains purported to be affected by opioids. To that end, we sought to examine whether: 1) chronic nociceptive pain itself results in objective neuropsychological impairment, and 2) stable use of immediate-release opioid analgesics ameliorates any neuropsychological impairment by virtue of relieving chronic pain intensity. Methods: 90 participants divided into three groups: 1) 30 individuals with no chronic pain or opioid use; 2) 30 individuals with chronic pain but no opioid use; and 3) 30 individuals with chronic pain treated with immediate-release oral opioid use. Participants completed a one-time appointment divided into five main portions: 1) informed consent; 2) adherence checks including a urine drug screen and 72-hour medication recall form; c) neuropsychological assessment battery; d) self-report questionnaires; and e) debriefing and... |
