Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-sxzjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T20:04:58.452Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effects of diazepam on self-informed arousal and sustained attention

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

JC Sierra  and
G Buela-Casal
JC Sierra
Affiliation:
Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja, 18071Granada, Spain
G Buela-Casal
Affiliation:
Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja, 18071Granada, Spain
Get access

Summary

The use of benzodiazepines seems to be associated with a deficit in the levels of arousal and attention during vigil. A number of studies have found residual effects a few hours after the intake of these drugs. This paper assesses the effects of a single dose of 10 mg diazepam on self-informed arousal (as evaluated with the Stanford Sleepiness Scale) and sustained attention (as evaluated with the Toulouse Piéron test) the morning after oral intake (11 hours later). Potential differences in the residual effects of benzodiazepines on men and women were also examined. A sample of 42 healthy young university students (21 female, 21 male) was exposed to three counterbalanced experimental conditions (control, placebo, diazepam). Diazepam only caused a reduction in arousal in women, and this deficit was similar to that caused by the intake of a placebo.

Keywords

diazepamself-informed arousalsustained attention
Type
Original articles
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 11 , Issue 7 , 1996 , pp. 353 - 356
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier, Paris 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Buela-Casal, GCaballo, VEEfectos del consumo de alcohol y café sobre la conducción: importancia del nivel de tolerancia al alcohol. Mapfre Seguridad 1992; 46: 27–35Google Scholar
Buela-Casal, GGarcfa-Cueto, ECaballo, VESierra, JCAssesment of residual effects of diazepam on vigilance and psychophysiological variables. Med Sci Res 1992; 20: 315–316Google Scholar
Buela-Casal, GSierra, JCEscalas para evaluar la activacionsomnolencia. Vig-Sueño 1994; 6: 13–19Google Scholar
Dement, WCSeidel, WFCohen, SABayley, RRountree, MYost, DEffects of alprazolam, buspirone and diazepam on daytime sedation and performance. Drug Invest 1991; 3: 148–156CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernández-Guardiola, AJurado, JLAguilar-Jiménez, EEvaluation of the attention and sleepiness states by means of a psychophysiological test of reaction time and time estimate in man: effects of psychotropic drugs. Curr Ther Res 1984; 6: 1000–1009Google Scholar
Fernández-Guardiola, AJurado, JLSolis, HEfecto del triazolam durante una prueba poligráfica y conductal de vigilancia. Rev Med 1978; 1230: 76–85Google Scholar
Hoddes, EDement, WZarcoue, VThe development and use of the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS). Psychophysiology 1972; 9: 150Google Scholar
Johnson, LCSpinweber, CLGómez, SABenzodiazepines and caffeine: effect on daytime sleepiness, performance and mood. Psychopharmacology 1990; 101: 160–167CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jurado, JLFernández-Mas, RFernández-Guardiola, AEffects of one week administration of two benzodiazepines on the sleep and early daytime performance of normal subjects. Psychopharmacology 1989; 1: 91–93CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mattila, MJMattila, MEKonno, KSaarialho-Kere, UObjective and subjective effects of remoxipride, alone and in combination with ethnol or diazepam, on performance in healthy subjects. J Psychopharmacol 1988; 2: 138–149CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Palva, ESGender-related differences in diazepam: effects on performance. Med Biol 1985; 63: 92–95Google ScholarPubMed
Patat, AKlein, MJHucher, MEffects of single oral doses of clobazam, diazepam and lorazepam on performance tasks and memory. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1987; 5: 461–466CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pressman, MRFry, JMRelationship of autonomic nervous system activity to daytime sleepiness and prior sleep. Sleep 1989; 12: 239–245CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Risby, EDHsiao, JKGolden, RNPotter, WZIntravenous alprazolam challenge in normal subjects. Biochemical, cardiovascular and behavioral effects. Psychopharmacology 1989; 99: 508–514CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roy-Byrne, PPUhde, TWHolcomb, HThompson, KKing, AKWeingartner, HEffects of diazepam on cognitive processes in normal subjects. Psychopharmacology 1987; 91: 30–33CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schittecatte, MCrine, AWilmotte, JKuperberg, EThe effects of two benzodiazepines with rapid elimination on sleep, subjective feelings and skilled performance. Curr Ther Res 1988; 3: 397–401Google Scholar
Sierra, JCBuela-Casal, GLas benzodiacepinas. Una revisión soble el estado actual. Arch Neurobiol 1994; 58: 208–223Google Scholar
Sierra, JCFernández-Guardiola, ALuna-Villegas, GBuela-Casal, GEfectos residuales de las benzodiacepinas sobre la atención en humanos. Psicothema 1993; 5: 279–293Google Scholar
Sierra, JCFernández-Guardiola, ALuna-Villegas, GBuela-Casal, GRelaćion entre diversos indicadores de activación (tiempo de reacción, estimaci del tiempo, tasa cardíaca y activación autoinformada) en una situación control y bajo los efectos del diacepam Vig-Sueno 4 1993 15–21Google Scholar
Toulouse, EPiéron, HToulouse-Piéron (Prueba Perceptiva y de Ateneiön) Madrid: TEA, 1986Google Scholar
Yonkers, KAKando, JCCole, JOBlumenthal, SGender differences in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of psychotropic medication. Am J Psychiatry 1992; 5: 587–595Google Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.