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Biomedical subjects

C F Flaherty

Publications and source records attributed to C F Flaherty.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Psychomotor changes during initial day of benzodiazepine medication.

1 The detracting psychomotor effects of diazepam (5 mg three times daily) and clobazam (an investigational 1,5-benzodiazepine) were compared with placebo effects over the course of the initial day of medication. Tests were administered at hourly intervals and the data were analyzed from the standpoint of contrasts at each session and from the standpoint of trends that accrued during the course of the day. 2 It is concluded that among normal volunteers diazepam 5 mg three times daily may be near the threshold for detracting psychomotor consequences during the initial day and that clobazam seems to be without detracting consequences and may have some enhancing effects.

Adult↗

Incentive contrast undiminished by extended testing, imipramine, or chlordiazepoxide.

In three experiments rats were given alternating 1-minute access periods to two tubes containing sucrose solutions. When the tubes contained disparate concentrations (32% versus 4%), lick-rate was higher for the 32% solution than it was when both tubes contained 32% (a positive contrast effect) and less for 4% than when both tubes contained 4% (a negative contrast effect). Similar, but generally less pronounced, contrast effects were obtained in latency to initiate drinking. These contrast effects showed no sign of diminution with repeated exposure (32 days of repeated shifts in Experiments 1 and 3); they were not greatly influenced by injections of imipramine (Experiment 2) or chlordiazepoxide (Experiment 3), nor by deprivation conditions (Experiment 3), nor by deprivation conditions (Experiment 3). The results supported an explanation of simultaneous contrast in terms of sensory-perceptual processes rather than in terms of generalization decrement or emotional responses.

Animals↗

A comparison of the effect of imipramine, nomifensine, and placebo on the psychomotor performance of normal males.

Imipramine (50 mg), nomifensine (50 mg) or placebo was administered early morning, late morning, and mid-afternoon to normal volunteers. The program of hourly tests included: the Digit Symbol Substitution, Perceptual Reversal, Time Estimation Test, and Simple and Complex Continuous Performances tests both of which required recognition of briefly exposed letters of the alphabet. It was found that relative to placebo or nomifensine, imipramine had a clearly detracting effect on most of the tests. Drowsiness was reported more often in the imipramine group than in the placebo and nomifensine groups combined.

Adult↗

The effect of minor tranquilizers on psychomotor performance.

The effect of a standard daily regimen of chlordiazepoxide, prazepam (a new benzodiazepine tranquilizer), and placebo were examined in a three way double-blind comparison for a sample of normal volunteers. The criteria include a limited spectrum of psychomotor functions. A learning effect was conspicuous for all drugs on all criteria during the day-long sequence of ten trials. For the most part the differences between the drug groups were insignificant, but there were distinctive modifications in the performance of the chlordiazepoxide group. The clearest effect of the tranquilizer medications was found in the time estimation tests. Paradoxically, the drugs correct a naturally occurring perceptual error.

Adult↗

Within-subjects positive and negative contrast effects in rats.

Rats were given alternating 1-min. access periods to 2 tubes containing either 32% or 4% sucrose solutions for daily 6-min. test sessions. Lick rate for 32% was higher under comparison (32 vs. 4) than noncomparison (32 vs. 32) conditions; and lick rate for 4% was lower under comparison conditions (4 vs. 32) than under noncomparison conditions (4 vs. 4). All sucrose conditions were varied within subjects and both positive and negative contrast were obtained with a small n. In addition to lick rate, intake and latency measures also revealed contrast effects. Deprivation conditions altered latency but not lick rate measures of contrast. Reducing the test session to 3 min. (alternating 30-sec. access periods) did not greatly affect contrast. Additional experiments provided evidence for distinct within-days and between-days contrast effects, as well as a between-groups contrast effect.

Administration, Oral↗