Computerised psychomotor performance testing: a comparative study of the single dose pharmacodynamics of minaprine and amitriptyline in young and elderly subjects

Abstract

The psychomotor and cardiovascular effects of minaprine 100 mg, a novel antidepressant, were compared with amitriptyline 25 mg, as a positive control, and placebo in a single dose randomised double-blind crossover trial using an automated psychomotor test battery (APT), postural sway (PS), blood pressure (BP) and pulse in nine young and nine elderly healthy subjects. Analysis of variance, taking into account baseline values, showed that continuous attention test (CAT), critical flicker fusion threshold (CFFT), decision making test (DMT) and paired word association (PWA) were significantly impaired with amitriptyline compared with minaprine and placebo. Minaprine did not differ from placebo. Amitriptyline significantly lowered supine systolic blood pressure (BP) and all treatments produced significant decreases in heart rate in young and elderly. No age effect on psychomotor performance was seen. Minaprine compared favourably with amitriptyline using the APT with the doses used. The APT is useful in the evaluation of new drugs on psychomotor performance.

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medifoxamine after oral administration in healthy elderly volunteers

“…These findings are in keeping with previous work from our group with another new antidepressant, minaprine (Kinirons et al 1993). Of particular note in that study using the same methodology both a positive control (amitriptyline 25 mg) and placebo were included.…”

The effects of acute treatment with paroxetine, amitriptyline, and placebo on driving performance and cognitive function in healthy Japanese subjects: A double‐blind crossover trial

“…However, most of the previous studies administered 25 mg amitriptyline 2 or 3 times daily. Although several studies showed impaired performance 1-2 h after a single administration of 25 mg or less amitriptyline (Bye et al, 1978), the results obtained at the low doses varied with the tasks or subjects' ages (Crome and Newman, 1978;Kinirons et al, 1993;Nathan et al, 2000;Ogura et al, 1983;Peck et al, 1979;Tiller, 1990). The absence of amitriptyline effects at 1 h post-dosing could be chiefly due to the present tests employing single low doses.…”

Plasma amitriptyline level after acute administration, and driving performance in healthy volunteers

“…Amitriptyline also has been linked to impairment of cognitive functions as well as driving performance. A single low dose of amitriptyline impaired cognitive functions as measured on cognitive tests such as auditory vigilance test, tapping test, arithmetic test, digit symbol substitution test, short term memory test, flicker‐fusion test, and choice reaction time test 13–19 …”