Pharmacologically induced changes in arousal: effects on behavioral and electrophysiologic measures of alertness and attention

Barry S. Oken; Shirley S. Kishiyama; Martin C. Salinsky

doi:10.1016/0013-4694(95)00124-H

Pharmacologically induced changes in arousal: effects on behavioral and electrophysiologic measures of alertness and attention

Barry S. Oken, Shirley S. Kishiyama, Martin C. Salinsky

Neurology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

The relationships between the diffuse subcortical neurotransmitter systems and behavioral and physiologic measures of alertness and attention are not well understood. This study was designed to further understand these relationships. In this double-blind experiment, 23 subjects ingested methylphenidate, diphenhydramine or placebo on 3 different days and performed behavioral and cognitive tasks including covert orienting of spatial attention and visual search tasks. Subjective and physiologic measures of alertness included EEG frequency analysis, EEG event-related desynchronization, and amount of sleep and sleep onset time in the unstimulated eyes closed state. Performance on the cognitive tasks improved with MP and worsened with DPHA, but there were no specific attentional effects. The best measures of alertness were based on self-rated scales and on EEG recorded in the unstimulated eyes closed state. These observations suggest that methylphenidate and diphenhydramine primarily affected overall state and that healthy humans were able to partially compensate for the pharmacologically induced alertness changes during cognitive task performance.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	359-371
Number of pages	13
Journal	Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology
Volume	95
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/0013-4694(95)00124-H
State	Published - Nov 1995

Keywords

Antihistamine
Arousal
EEG desynchronization
Monoamines
Spatial attention
Visual search

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Neuroscience
Clinical Neurology

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10.1016/0013-4694(95)00124-H

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title = "Pharmacologically induced changes in arousal: effects on behavioral and electrophysiologic measures of alertness and attention",

abstract = "The relationships between the diffuse subcortical neurotransmitter systems and behavioral and physiologic measures of alertness and attention are not well understood. This study was designed to further understand these relationships. In this double-blind experiment, 23 subjects ingested methylphenidate, diphenhydramine or placebo on 3 different days and performed behavioral and cognitive tasks including covert orienting of spatial attention and visual search tasks. Subjective and physiologic measures of alertness included EEG frequency analysis, EEG event-related desynchronization, and amount of sleep and sleep onset time in the unstimulated eyes closed state. Performance on the cognitive tasks improved with MP and worsened with DPHA, but there were no specific attentional effects. The best measures of alertness were based on self-rated scales and on EEG recorded in the unstimulated eyes closed state. These observations suggest that methylphenidate and diphenhydramine primarily affected overall state and that healthy humans were able to partially compensate for the pharmacologically induced alertness changes during cognitive task performance.",

keywords = "Antihistamine, Arousal, EEG desynchronization, Monoamines, Spatial attention, Visual search",

author = "Oken, {Barry S.} and Kishiyama, {Shirley S.} and Salinsky, {Martin C.}",

note = "Funding Information: This research was funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (AGO801 7 and ROl AG08714). We wish to acknowledge Patrick Demasco for software development and electrical engineering support and Peter Stern, Jennifer Long and Dana Jones for technical assistance.",

year = "1995",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1016/0013-4694(95)00124-H",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "95",

pages = "359--371",

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AU - Oken, Barry S.

AU - Kishiyama, Shirley S.

AU - Salinsky, Martin C.

N1 - Funding Information: This research was funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (AGO801 7 and ROl AG08714). We wish to acknowledge Patrick Demasco for software development and electrical engineering support and Peter Stern, Jennifer Long and Dana Jones for technical assistance.

PY - 1995/11

Y1 - 1995/11

N2 - The relationships between the diffuse subcortical neurotransmitter systems and behavioral and physiologic measures of alertness and attention are not well understood. This study was designed to further understand these relationships. In this double-blind experiment, 23 subjects ingested methylphenidate, diphenhydramine or placebo on 3 different days and performed behavioral and cognitive tasks including covert orienting of spatial attention and visual search tasks. Subjective and physiologic measures of alertness included EEG frequency analysis, EEG event-related desynchronization, and amount of sleep and sleep onset time in the unstimulated eyes closed state. Performance on the cognitive tasks improved with MP and worsened with DPHA, but there were no specific attentional effects. The best measures of alertness were based on self-rated scales and on EEG recorded in the unstimulated eyes closed state. These observations suggest that methylphenidate and diphenhydramine primarily affected overall state and that healthy humans were able to partially compensate for the pharmacologically induced alertness changes during cognitive task performance.

AB - The relationships between the diffuse subcortical neurotransmitter systems and behavioral and physiologic measures of alertness and attention are not well understood. This study was designed to further understand these relationships. In this double-blind experiment, 23 subjects ingested methylphenidate, diphenhydramine or placebo on 3 different days and performed behavioral and cognitive tasks including covert orienting of spatial attention and visual search tasks. Subjective and physiologic measures of alertness included EEG frequency analysis, EEG event-related desynchronization, and amount of sleep and sleep onset time in the unstimulated eyes closed state. Performance on the cognitive tasks improved with MP and worsened with DPHA, but there were no specific attentional effects. The best measures of alertness were based on self-rated scales and on EEG recorded in the unstimulated eyes closed state. These observations suggest that methylphenidate and diphenhydramine primarily affected overall state and that healthy humans were able to partially compensate for the pharmacologically induced alertness changes during cognitive task performance.

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KW - Arousal

KW - EEG desynchronization

KW - Monoamines

KW - Spatial attention

KW - Visual search

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Pharmacologically induced changes in arousal: effects on behavioral and electrophysiologic measures of alertness and attention

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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