Effect of combined atenolol and nifedipine administration on psychomotor performance in normal subjects

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the central effects of single doses of the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist atenolol and the calcium antagonist nifedipine retard, alone and in combination, in normal subjects. Twelve normal males received single oral doses of atenolol 100 mg, nifedipine retard 20 mg, atenolol 100 mg and nifedipine retard 20 mg in combination, diazepam 5 mg (active control), and each of two matching placebos in a double-blind, randomised fashion. Psychomotor performance was assessed using digit symbol substitution, letter cancellation (LCT), continuous attention, choice reaction time, finger tapping, immediate recall and short-term memory. Two flash fusion and critical flicker fusion thresholds were measured and subjective assessments made using visual analogue scales (VAS). Diazepam 5 mg significantly worsened LCT scores at 4h, significantly impaired alertness at 2 h and 4 h, and tended to increase reaction time and impair continuous attention and physiological measurements. Atenolol 100 mg alone significantly reduced alertness at 2 h and 4 h, and also tended to impair physiological measurements. Nifedipine retard 20 mg produced no significant psychomotor effects. Combined atenolol and nifedipine retard administration produced a small but significant improvement in continuous attention and a reduction in body sway, with no adverse effects being evident on performance or subjective awareness. The results suggest that no significant adverse effects on psychomotor performance are produced by single doses of atenolol 100 mg and nifedipine retard 20 mg when given together in normal subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cognitive toxicity of pharmacotherapeutic agents used in social anxiety disorder

“…While most of the medications examined in the present analysis yielded sufficient data to make appropriate calculations of the extent of druginduced cognitive impairment, caution should be a2d Calcium channel blockers Clomipramine (23) Pregabalin (45) Dothiepin (33,41,42) b-blockers Imipramine (60,66) Atenolol (30,31,38,39)…”

“…Data from both acute and repeated dosing regimen studies (22–70) of drugs with a documented use in the treatment of SAD, which matched the inclusion criteria, were included in the analysis (Table 1). Although phenelzine, selegeline and tranylcypromine are documented for potential use in SAD, no suitable psychometric/pharmacodynamic data were found and these substances are discussed no further.…”

Acute Psychotropic Effects of Oral Cannabis Extract with a Defined Content of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in Healthy Volunteers

“…The only signifi cant diazepam eff ects detected in our study were higher observer-rated tiredness and drowsiness one hour after administration compared to baseline. Diazepam is frequently used as an active control in trials investigating sedative properties of drugs with expected or unexpected psychotropic eff ects [25,49,62] . Studies focussing primarily on the eff ects of diazepam usually use higher dosages than 5 mg and are therefore not comparable, since a dosedependent eff ect of diazepam is well-known [9] .…”

Performance on Psychomotor Tasks following Two Yoga-Based Relaxation Techniques

“…The digit-letter substitution task measures psychomotor performance (Gerrard, Wheeldon, & McDevitt, 1995). This task is based on earlier developed substitution tests (e.g., the Digit Symbol Substitution Test) but uses overlearned signs (i.e., letters) instead of the symbols used in other substitution tasks (van der Elst, van Boxtel, van Breukelen, & Jolles, 2006).…”