Biomedical subjects

F Finnigan

Publications and source records attributed to F Finnigan.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Is residual impairment after alcohol an effect of repeated performance?

BACKGROUND: The study examines the residual impairment of performance due to alcohol on the descending limb of the blood alcohol curve. The occurrence of residual impairment at low or zero levels of blood alcohol is well established but its cause is uncertain. It is hypothesized that residual impairment may be due in part to the methodological procedure of repeated performance testing in the post-ingestion period. METHODS: There were 80 volunteers randomly allocated to one of four treatment conditions: a) alcohol and repeated performance (A-R) where psychomotor tasks were performed at 20-min interval for 2 h post ingestion; b) alcohol and double performance (A-D) where tasks were performed only at 1 h and 2 h from ingestion; c) placebo and repeated performance (P-R); and d) placebo and double performance (P-D). Alcohol was administered as vodka to achieve a peak blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of approximately 80 mg per 100 ml. Performance effects were assessed by a dual task of primary pursuit tracking and secondary visual reaction time, and a visual sustained attention task. RESULTS: Alcohol caused significant impairment of secondary reaction time, the effect being greatest at peak BAC. Sustained attention was also impaired by alcohol but the effect just missed significance. Repeated performance conditions were associated with significantly greater impairment of secondary reaction time and sustained attention when compared with double performance conditions. The factor of performance condition did not, however, interact with that of alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: The monotony and boredom that may be associated with repeated performance do not contribute to residual alcohol impairment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Effects of meal composition on blood alcohol level, psychomotor performance and subjective state after ingestion of alcohol.

Moderating effects of meal composition on psychomotor performance impairment and feelings after alcohol were examined in a between-subjects design. Fifty-one male volunteers fasted or received either a high carbohydrate (85% energy) or a high protein (94% energy) meal. Alcohol was administered at a dose to achieve a blood alcohol level (BAL) of 60 mg/100 ml, as a placebo. Subjects performed a dual task of primary tracking and secondary reaction time and a five-choice reaction time task. Feelings were also assessed by rating. The high carbohydrate meal reduced BAL at peak and 2 h after drinking, but a high protein meal had no significant effect. Although performance was impaired by alcohol, neither meal significantly reduced impairment and there was no effect of meal type on performance in the placebo condition. However, alcohol increased rated intoxication and the high carbohydrate meal reduced this effect. Subjects who had consumed high protein meals had more negative affect 2 h after alcohol than did subjects who had consumed high carbohydrate meals or fasted. It is concluded that there is only a weak relationship between BAL and performance impairment and food has only limited effects on impairment, although it reduces BAL.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

An examination of next-day hangover effects after a 100 mg/100 ml dose of alcohol in heavy social drinkers.

AIMS: Carry-over effects or the hangover hypothesis postulates that alcohol continues to impair performance the morning after drinking, even after low or moderate doses. Performance deficits have been attributed to the residual effects of recent drinking. The present study examined evidence for residual alcohol consumption on human performance when blood alcohol level has declined to zero. DESIGN: A within-subjects, repeated measures, placebo controlled experiment was conducted with double-blind alcohol administration to investigate the effects of alcohol the morning after ingestion. SETTING: All subjects were studied in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. PARTICIPANTS: Forty healthy male moderate to heavy social drinkers between 18 and 45 years of age. MEASUREMENTS: Psychomotor performance, subjective state and quality of sleep were examined under alcohol and placebo with a 1-week interval between test sessions. Enough alcohol was given to place subjects above the legal limit for driving at peak blood alcohol. FINDINGS: There was no evidence for impaired performance the morning after ingestion. Effects were found for subjective state and sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that after a 100 mg/100 ml dose of alcohol people who: (a) have no alcohol left in their blood and; (b) do not feel hung over will generally be fit to drive.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

The effects of expectancy and alcohol on cognitive-motor performance.

Previous studies have found equivocal evidence for expectancy effects on cognitive-motor performance. The effects of expectancy and alcohol on a dual tracking and reaction-time task analogous to some driving skills, and on choice reaction-time, were studied in a balanced-placebo design (n = 90). A dose of alcohol achieving 80 mg/100 ml (high dose) had large effects on both tasks, but a low dose (40 mg/100 ml) had no significant effects. Expecting alcohol led to subjects who received the high dose performing significantly better on the primary tracking task than subjects expecting placebo (but also receiving the high alcohol dose). By contrast, on a secondary reaction-time task, subjects who had received placebo performed worse 100-130 minutes after drinking, if they had expected alcohol. All groups felt more drunk than baseline and expecting alcohol made subjects feel more able to perform, whatever drink they had received. The implications of these findings for the nature of expectancy effects on performance and the relationship between expectations and strategy are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

The cognitive structure underlying heroin-injecting behaviour.

An important objective in the field of drug education is the development of successful intervention programs to deter or reduce use. A vital step in this procedure is the identification of the critical elements that will induce and maintain behavior change. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the Theory of Reasoned Action can be used to identify these factors. Data were gathered from a sample of current heroin injectors and the cognitive structure underlying drug use investigated. The findings are discussed with regard to intervention programs aimed at modifying or reducing drug injecting behavior.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Alcohol placebos: you can only fool some of the people all of the time.

Some data from three studies of the acute psychological effects of alcohol are presented. After blind administration subjects could often tell that they had consumed alcohol, presumably because of its physiological effects. About 50% of subjects who received placebo alcohol felt slightly drunk and guessed that they had received alcohol. But, subjects who had actually received alcohol rated themselves as more drunk and were much more likely to guess that they had received alcohol. Subjects could also approximately estimate how much alcohol they had drunk. These findings suggest that the effects of unblinding should be considered when alcohol is administered in placebo designs. True blind placebo administration may only be possible when achieved BAL is < 40 mg/100 ml.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed1992

Reduction of alcohol-induced performance impairment by prior ingestion of food.

The study examined the effectiveness of eating a meal prior to drinking alcohol as a means of reducing both peak blood alcohol level (BAL) and alcohol-induced performance impairment. In a separate-groups design, 133 male volunteers either fasted or received a standard meal of fixed calorific value and composition. Alcohol was then administered as placebo or at doses to achieve a BAL of 0, 20, 40 or 80 mg/100 ml. Subjects performed a dual task of primary tracking and secondary reaction time, short-term memory, five-choice reaction time and critical flicker fusion. Alcohol significantly impaired dual task performance but impairment was significantly reduced for those subjects who had eaten beforehand. BAL was also significantly lower in such subjects. It was concluded that prior ingestion of food might reduce the adverse effects of alcoholic intoxication, although performance remained impaired relative to the sober state.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Verbal expectancies and performance after alcohol.

New verbal expectancies about the effects of alcohol were experimentally induced in subjects by suggesting in writing and verbally that food had positive, negative, or neutral effects on performance after alcohol. Subjects (n = 120, male) received this suggestion, food (fed or fasted), and alcohol (alcohol or placebo) in a between-subjects design. Alcohol impaired reaction time and tracking (with a secondary reaction-time task). Food reduced this impairment. The verbal expectancy manipulation had no effect on performance, although it had a marginally significant effect on rated ability to perform. It is concluded that verbal expectancy effects about alcohol influence verbal or social behaviours more easily than cognitive processes.

Adult↗