Acute effects of methadone on neural oscillations: an EEG study of theta, alpha, beta power, and frontal alpha asymmetry in opioid rehabilitation patients

Nadiya, Ulfah; Simbolon, Artha Ivonita; Kusumandari, Dwi Esti; Rahmawati, Annida; Amri, M Faizal; Wibowo, Jony Winaryo; Danasasmita, Febrianti Santiardi; Sobana, Siti Aminah; Iskandar, Shelly; Turnip, Arjon · 2025 · Crossref

DOI: 10.35882/v7i2.64

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates the acute neurophysiological effects of methadone on brain oscillatory activity in patients undergoing opioid substitution therapy (OST). While methadone’s pharmacological role in reducing withdrawal and cravings is well-established, its immediate impact on neural dynamics remains underexplored. The research specifically examines changes in theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (8–12 Hz), and beta (12–30 Hz) frequency bands, as well as frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), a biomarker for emotional regulation. The study aims to characterize these acute changes to better understand methadone’s influence on cognitive control, sedation, and emotional processing. The study recruited twenty participants from a rehabilitation center, aged 28–45 years, who had been receiving consistent methadone treatment for at least six months. Electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded using a 19-channel system before and one hour after oral methadone administration. After excluding six subjects due to signal noise, data from fourteen participants were analyzed. The methodology involved filtering raw EEG data, removing artifacts via Independent Component Analysis, and computing power spectral density using Short-Time Fourier Transform. Statistical significance was assessed using paired t-tests, with post-hoc power analysis confirming sufficient sample size for detecting effects. Results indicated a significant global decrease in theta power, particularly in frontal, temporal, and occipital regions, suggesting alterations in executive functioning and increased sedation. Conversely, alpha power increased significantly in central and parietal regions, indicating reduced sensory processing and attentional disengagement. Beta power decreased consistently across all cortical regions, reflecting reduced cortical arousal and cognitive alertness, though these changes were not statistically significant in all areas. FAA analysis showed high inter-individual variability, with no statistically significant group-level changes, implying that methadone’s impact on emotional valence varies significantly among patients. The findings underscore methadone’s acute sedative and stabilizing effects on neural activity, supporting its clinical utility in managing opioid dependence. The reduction in theta and beta power, alongside increased alpha power, aligns with the drug’s role as a central nervous system depressant. The variability in FAA responses highlights the need for personalized treatment approaches. These results provide valuable insights into the immediate neurophysiological impacts of methadone, potentially informing optimized dosing strategies and monitoring protocols in opioid rehabilitation programs.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-nvidia on 2026-08-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• neuro workload indices