RELATED COORDINATIVE, REACTIVE AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCES AS IMPAIRED BY DRUGS AND ALCOHOL: COMPARISON WITH CLINICAL TEST FOR DRIVING FITNESS

Cognitive, coordinative and reactive functions, separately and combined to a "global test", and the clinical test for drunkenness were compared in two placebo-controlled double-blind crossover studies with 12 healthy subjects in each. In Trial I, oral single doses of lorazepam (LZ) 2 mg in two formulations and ethanol (EOH) 1 g/kg were given in balanced order. In Trial II, EOH (0.8 g/kg) was given during the treatment with an H1-antihistamine ebastine (20 mg daily) or placebo. Performance was tested before and after the intake of the drugs. LZ given in capsules or sublingual tablets similarly caused drowsiness, mental slowness and clumsiness, and impaired cognitive (digit substitution), reactive and coordinative (simulated driving) performances at 2, 4 and 6 hr after intake. Mean blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) were 1.27, 0.92 and 0.61 g/l at 1.5, 3.5 and 5.5 hr after EOH which much resembled LZ in its effects, with some qualitative (drowsiness, body sway) differences. The "global effect" (tracking error severity + 10 reaction time / digits substituted) provided a single variable for the comparison of LZ and EOH, its justification being confirmed by the subsequent G-test computed for the same variables. In the clinical test, LZ and EOH impaired motor and mental subtests but EOH also impaired vestibular functions. In Trial II, the mean BACs (0.82, 0.53 and 0.25 g/ml at 2, 4 and 6 hr) and EOH-induced decrement of performance were less than in Trial I. Ebastine neither impaired performance nor increased EOH effects. As to the clinical test, significant drug effects due to EOH or ebastine + EOH were seen only in vestibular and motor subtests at 2 hr but not at 5 hr. We conclude that the two LZ formulations are similar in practice; LZ 2 mg is more detrimental than 1 g/kg EOH in laboratory tests but not in the clinical test; and the empirically chosen "global test" might be useful when comparing the decrements of performance caused by drugs and alcohol.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/11198060
• Corporate Authors:

  International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine

  Huddinge University Hospital Center, Traffic Medicine Center
  Stockholm,   Sweden  141 86
• Authors:
  • MATTILA, M J
  • KUITUNEN, T
  • Veilahti, J
• Publication Date: 1993

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 101-114
• Serial:
  • Journal of traffic medicine
  • Volume: 21
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine
  • ISSN: 0345-5564

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohol effects; Antihistamines; Driver performance; Drivers; Drug effects; Ethanol; Human subject testing; Impaired drivers; Motor skills; Personnel performance; Tranquilizers
• Uncontrolled Terms: Psychomotor performance
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver impairment
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00639893
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Dec 2 1993 12:00AM