Drugs as Research Tools in Psychology: Cholinergic Drugs and Information Processing

Warburton, David M.; Wesnes, Keith

doi:10.1159/000118065

Cited by 87 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Scopolamine-or lorazepam-induced sedation (rated by the subject or measured by motor retardation) was found to be more closely related to performance on attention and psychomotor tasks than to performance on memory tasks [5]. In some studies, cholinergic drugs have been shown to have an effect on both attentional and memory aspects of information processing [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Scopolamine on Matching to Sample Paradigm and Related Tests in Human Subjects

et al. 2003

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This was a double-blind placebo-controlled study with a cross-over design to examine the effects of scopolamine on cognitive functions in young healthy subjects. Scopolamine hydrobromide was administered subcutaneously to 12 subjects (mean ± SD age 23.8 ± 2.2 years) at doses of 0.3 and 0.6 mg in comparison with two placebo conditions. Scopolamine at both doses produced marked sedation as rated by subjects and an observer. In the continuous performance test, vigilance was impaired by both doses of scopolamine. The span of apprehension test showed differing results (only the high dose of scopolamine showed a performance decrement only in the three-character version of the span of apprehension test). Significant impairment by both doses of scopolamine was seen in immediate and delayed free recall, continuous visual recognition, running word recognition and running picture recognition. While scopolamine caused a significant slowing in average reaction times for simultaneous matching as well as for delayed matching, subjects made more errors under scopolamine compared to placebo only in delayed matching, not in simultaneous matching. Also, the main outcome of matching to sample showed significant effects only in delayed matching, not in simultaneous matching. Notable in this study is the incongruity between the simultaneous matching test and the span of apprehension test on the one hand and the other cognitive tests used on the other. These results demonstrated that scopolamine has a greater effect on memory than on attention. Thus, the scopolamine-induced effects in the present study seem to be more relevant to Alzheimer’s disease in an advanced phase than to normal aging.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Scopolamine on Matching to Sample Paradigm and Related Tests in Human Subjects

et al. 2003

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“…In our work, our strategy has been to use drugs as tools for analyzing the neurochemical mechanisms underlying information processing [1], In developing this approach, we have used experimental paradigms, which have been developed from attentional capacity models of informa tion processing [2], These theoretical models have moved away from structural limitations to process models, em phasizing instead the importance of effective and efficient strategies for processing, including the encoding and re trieval of information. Within this context, a crucial role is played by the supervisory control mechanism which coordinates the necessary operations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cholinergic Control of Cognitive Resources

Warburton¹,

Rusted

1993

Neuropsychobiology

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In this paper, we describe our approach to the investigation of cholinergic modulation of human information processing. In a continuing series of studies from our laboratories, we have systematically examined the extent to which current psychological models of information processing provide an adequate framework for the interpretation of the modulatory effects of cholinergic agents on cognitive performance measures. We suggest that the data are consistent with the view of attention and memory as processes which operate through a common, limited capacity executive mechanism, rather than separable serial processes described in the traditional modular models of memory.

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“…Transdermal scopolamine has been dem onstrated to provide significant protection against mo tion sickness, both under laboratory conditions of con trolled motion [Graybiel et al, 1976[Graybiel et al, , 1982, and at sea [Price et al, 1981;Van Marion et al, 1985], Current models of motion sickness place primary emphasis upon muscarinic acetylcholine neurotransmis sion, which is hypothesised to underly the transmission of motion information from the vestibular organs, to the brainstem areas subserving vomiting Reason and Brand, 1975]. Acetylcholine is also important for psychological functions such as sustained attention, vigilance, stimulus processing, and memory storage [Deutsch, 1971;Warburton, 1975;Warburton and Wesnes, 1984]; these functions are significantly im paired by oral or parenteral scopolamine [Colquohoun et al, 1962; Ghoneim and Mewaldt, 1975;Lukomskya and Nikolskay, 1971;Parrott, 1986; Peterson, 1977; Warburton. 1983, 1984).…”

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confidence: 99%

Transdermal Scopolamine: Effects of Single and Repeated Patches upon Psychological Task Performance

Parrott¹

1987

Neuropsychobiology

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Scopolamine and placebo transdermal patches were applied on alternating days to 12 normal volunteer subjects. Psychological performance tasks, physiological assessments, a subjective feeling state questionnaire, and a sleep questionnaire were completed each day. Transdermal scopolamine produced significant decrements in memory task performance, daytime feelings of alertness, ease of waking, and alertness following waking, while resting heart rates were lowered. Significant drug × patch number interaction effects were present with memory for new information, letter cancellation omission errors, rapid visual information processing reaction time, and self-rated ease of getting to sleep, but there was no consistent pattern to the changes following successive patches. Visual problems (blurred vision, longer visual near point) increased following successive scopolamine patches, but the changes in task performance were not related to these visual changes.

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Drugs as Research Tools in Psychology: Cholinergic Drugs and Information Processing

Abstract: It is argued that cholinergic drugs have an effect on both attentional and memory aspects of information processing. This thesis is supported by studies with anticholinesterases, cholinolytics, and nicotine.

Cited by 87 publications

References 35 publications

Effects of Scopolamine on Matching to Sample Paradigm and Related Tests in Human Subjects

Effects of Scopolamine on Matching to Sample Paradigm and Related Tests in Human Subjects

Cholinergic Control of Cognitive Resources

Transdermal Scopolamine: Effects of Single and Repeated Patches upon Psychological Task Performance

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