No abstract

The effect of three antihistaminics, alone and with ethanol, on mental and motor performance has been measured. Alcohol consistently effected a significant impairment of both mental and motor performance. No significant mental impairment was observed when the antihistaminic drugs were given alone, nor was the effect of ethanol potentiated by them significantly. When motor performance was measured, none of the antihistaminics alone produced significant effects. In the presence of ethanol, the action of diphenhydramine was potentiated in two tests. The depressant property of the antihistaminics studied was much more apparent to the subjects than that of alcohol, and, yet, significant impairment was observed only with alcohol.

Two tranquilizers, chlordiazepoxide and diazepam, and placebo medication were studied in 18 subjects for their effects on mental and motor performance with and without small amounts of ethanol. Attentive motor performance was measured with a pursuit meter developed by the authors. Ethanol was the only drug used alone that impaired motor performance. Over‐all drug‐alcohol interaction was not significant with diazepam or chlordiazepoxide. However, in one pattern, a synergistic effect of diazepam with alcohol occurred. Mental performance was measured with a delayed auditory feedback system. The subiects had nine verbal or arithmetical tests on six different occasions on a 6 x 6 random plan. By this procedure only alcohol effected a decrease in performance scores. No appreciable additive effect of chlordiazepoxide or diazepam with alcohol (in low blood concentration) was evident.

No abstract

By means of a delayed auditory feedback system, an anxiety situation was created in 16 subjects. Alcohol in low dosage (50 mg/100 cc blood level) effected a pronounced deficiency in performance. Nortriptyline did not alter performance, and when it was given in combination with ethanol the performance scores inclined to revert toward normalcy.A DELAYED AUDITORY FEEDBACK (DAF) system has been used in order to create a selfinduced anxiety state in normal subjects.1,2 This state is manifested by stuttering, stammering, slur¬ ring, and repetition of words and phrases.3 It has been described by subjects as a period of frustra¬ tion and anxiety.4 We have used this system in order to quantitate performance in normal subjects and to study the effect of various centrally acting drugs on efficiency of performance under this stressful situation.1,2 Due to the widespread use of alcohol as well as of various psychotherapeutic drugs, it has become increasingly important to eval¬ uate the effect of their combinations. It is logical to assume that the combination of ethanol with such drugs will occur inadvertently many times. In the present study, performance was evaluated after subjects had received ethanol or an antidepressant, nortriptyline, as well as a combination of these two drugs. MethodSubjects-Sixteen paid volunteer medical and graduate students were included in the study, eight males and eight females. Ages ranged from 20 to 39 years with a median of 24. The median weight was about 155 lb (70.3 kg), ranging from 98 to 190 (44.5 to 86.2 kg). The subjects were encouraged to compete-with their fellow students. Eight sub¬ jects received nortriptyline in 10-mg dosages and eight in 25-mg dosages.The tests and grading system have been des¬ cribed.12 The experimental program consisted of Tests 1 and 2 (verbalization), Tests 3 through 8 (mathematics), and Test 9 (rapid color differentia¬ tion). For verbalization, the subjects read an un¬ familiar essay (eg, Aristotle) for 2 min and then read the same selection in reverse, ie, starting from the last word on the printed page. In the mathe¬ matical tests, simple addition or subtraction prob¬ lems were read, and the answers were supplied by these subjects, ie, 7+2=_ or 9-4=-The DAF is a particularly distracting influence in that the answer to the previous problem is returning to the ears of the subject at about the time it is necessary for him to supply the answer. In the color test, the subject is handed a card with names of colors printed on it. The names have been printed with different colors. He is required to read rapidly the first word, give the color of the second word, and so on. This is a modification of the Stroop test.5 Output per error per 2-min period was calcu¬ lated for each test as a measure of performance.Testing Apparatus-The subject read into a microphone, which was fed into a recorder, oper¬ ating at 7% in/sec. A playback head was mounted to return the DAF into earphones covered with rubber caps. The subject sat with his face 6 in from the microphone and was in...