Biomedical subjects

Anna Bogucka-Bonikowska

Publications and source records attributed to Anna Bogucka-Bonikowska.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Self-reported effects of methadone on cigarette smoking in methadone-maintained subjects.

Subjects maintained on methadone evidence a high level of interest in quitting cigarette smoking. Readiness to quit may result, at least partially, from direct pharmacological interactions between methadone and brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The aim of the present study was to assess: (1) self-reported changes in smoking habits after admission to a methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program; (2) acute effects of methadone administration on smoking behavior in MMT patients. The study was conducted between May and December 2001, in two public outpatient MMT clinics located in Warsaw, Poland. The patients (41 men, 30 women) reported smoking fewer cigarettes after admission to the program. Most subjects (67.6%) changed their favorite brand of cigarettes after admission. Mean nicotine content (mg/cigarette) significantly decreased. On the other hand, the subjects did not report any effects of methadone administration on smoking parameters. The above findings suggest that initiation of MMT is associated with positive changes in smoking behavior. However, these changes may not be related to direct pharmacological interactions between methadone and nicotine.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Time-dependent changes in alcohol-seeking behaviour during abstinence.

Exposure of alcohol addicts to alcohol-related environmental cues may elicit alcohol-seeking behaviour even after protracted abstinence. The purpose of the present study was to assess time-dependent changes in alcohol-seeking behaviour in rats trained to respond for alcohol. The rats were re-exposed to alcohol-associated stimuli after 1, 28 or 56 days of withdrawal. During the re-exposure session, the rats were first allowed to respond in extinction. Then, reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behaviour was evoked by a complex of discrete alcohol-associated cues (auditory and light cues combined with taste and smell of alcohol). Extinction behaviour depended on abstinence duration with maximal responding after 28-day abstinence. Reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behaviour evoked by the discrete cues was highest after 56-day abstinence. No correlations were found between individual alcohol intakes, extinction behaviour and cue-induced reinstatement. These results suggest that: (i) alcohol-seeking behaviour may become more intense after long-term imposed abstinence; (ii) alcohol self-administration, extinction behaviour, and reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behaviour may be regulated by separate neural mechanisms.

Alcoholism↗

PubMed2002

Taste function in methadone-maintained opioid-dependent men.

It has been shown repeatedly that opioid dependence is associated with increased consumption of refined sugars. It is possible that this association results from altered taste reactivity in opioid-dependent subjects. Thus, in the present study, we compared taste responses to sweet, bitter, sour and salty solutions in methadone-maintained opioid-dependent men and healthy control subjects. The two groups did not differ in terms of rated intensity or pleasantness of sucrose (1-30%), quinine (0.001-0.005%), citric acid (0.02-0.1%) and sodium chloride (0.18-0.9%) solutions. Proportions of 'sweet-likers', i.e. subjects rating a 30% sucrose (0.88 M) solution as the most pleasant, were also similar in both groups. In line with the previous findings, the methadone-maintained subjects reported adding more table sugar to caffeinated beverages. The results of the present study suggest that changes in taste reactivity may not be responsible for altered dietary choices in opioid addicts.

Adult↗