Anna-Lisa Myrsten

Subjective and objective effects of alcohol as functions of dosage and time

SummaryEight male subjects were studied during a five-hour period following three different doses of a) 0.33, b) 0.44, and c) 0.66 g alcohol per kg body weight.The main dependent variables of the investigation were 1. blood alcohol concentration, 2. self-estimated degree of intoxication, and 3. observed degree of intoxication. The subjective scales were obtained by the method of magnitude estimation. Corresponding curves of self-estimated and observed degree of intoxication were in very close agreement. In most respects the subjective estimation curves also showed a far-reaching agreement with the corresponding blood alcohol curves: a fast intitial growth followed by an essentially linear decline. The rate of decline of the subjective curves was, however, much faster.In addition to these principal data, 4. self-estimates of certain mood variables were obtained, and 5. two objective performance tests were administered. Nearly all curves obtained in the experiments showed a maximal effect about 30–50 min after alcohol intake. The subjective variables, and particularly those related to general intoxication, were on the whole more affected by alcohol than were the performance variables.The results of the present investigation with three doses of alcohol substantiate and widen the conclusions based on a previous study with a single moderate dose.

Effects of abstinence from tobacco smoking on physiological and psychological arousal levels in habitual smokers.

&NA; Effects of abstaining temporarily from tobacco smoking were studied in a group of habitual smokers during a 15‐day period, during which they smoked normally for the forst 5 days, refrained from smoking the next 5 days, and smoked again during the last 5 days. Results were evaluated against values obtained in a nonabstaining group of smokers. Adrenaline and noradrenaline excretion decreased, skin temperature increased, and hand steadiness was improved when the subjects stopped smoking. Submaximal, physical work tests were performed once each period. No changes occurred in perceived exertion for abstainers during work, in spite of a reduced heart rate. There were only minor differences between abstaining and smoking subjects with regard to performance in the cognitive tests. Irritation, depression, lack of concentration, sleep disturbances, anxiety, tension, and restlessness were frequently reported as abstinence symptoms. The results indicate a decrease in arousal level during abstinence.

Psychophysiological reactions to understimulation and overstimulation

Abstract Catecholamine output, heart rate, and performance efficiency were examined in 28 Ss during two contrasting stimulus conditions, one of understimulation, and one of overstimulation. During understimulation the subject spent 3 hr performing a vigilance task, and during overstimulation he was exposed for the same time period to a complex sensorimotor test. Both understimulation and overstimulation produced a significant increase of adrenaline and noradrenaline release as compared with a control condition involving a medium amount of stimulation. Subjects who excreted relatively more adrenaline performed significantly better during understimulation, whereas subjects with relatively lower excretion rates of adrenaline tended to perform better under overstimulation. When performance efficiency was related to heart rate it was shown that high-heart rate subjects performed better during understimulation, while low-heart rate subjects performed better during overstimulation.

Behavioural and physiological effects of cigarette smoking in a monotonous situation.

Sustained performance in a visual reaction time test was examined in 12 moderate smokers. In a control condition without smoking, efficiency decreased over time. In a, condition, where 3 cigarettes were smoked at 20-min intervals, the subjects were able to maintain their initial level of performance throughout the session, mean reaction times being significantly shorter in the smoking than in the control condition. Smoking produced a significant increase in adrenaline excretion and heart rate.

Immediate effects of cigarette smoking as related to different smoking habits.

A questionnaire concerning interactions between the need to smoke and the external situation was used to select 8 “low-arousal smokers” and 8 “high-arousal smokers.” The former were smokers who generally experienced their strongest need to smoke in low-arousal situations, characterized by e.g., monotony or boredom, while the latter experienced their strongest need to smoke in high-arousal situations, characterized by, e.g., anxiety or excitement. Members of each group were examined under smoking and nonsmoking conditions in a low-arousal situation, i.e., performing a vigilance-type sensorimotor task, and in a high-arousal situation, i.e., performing a complex sensorimotor task. It was shown that the two groups reacted differently to smoking in the two situations. In low-arousal smokers performance and general well-being were favourably affected by smoking in the low-arousal situation only. Conversely, performance and well-being of the high-arousal smokers were enhanced by smoking in the high-arousal situation only.

Changes in behavioral and physiological activation induced by cigarette smoking in habitual smokers

Performance in tasks on visual simple- and choice-reaction time was studied in six healthy habitual smokers. Results from a non-smoking condition, and a condition in which each subject smoked four cigarettes, indicated that smoking had a beneficial effect on performance efficiency in both tasks: (a) simple-reaction time increased over time in the non-smoking condition, but remained at the same level in the smoking condition, and (b) choice-reaction time increased slightly in the non-smoking condition, and decreased in the smoking condition. The difference between conditions was statistically significant for simple-reaction time. Hand steadiness was impaired by smoking. Heart rate and systolic pressure increased in the smoking condition, while catecholamine secretion remained relatively unaffected by smoking. Self-estimates of wakefulness and mood showed that smoking was judged to have favourable effects.

Interaction of alcohol and reward in an achievement situation

Effects of psychological stress on acute alcohol intoxication following intake of 2 ml whisky/kg body weight were examined in 12 healthy subjects. Each subject performed a 45-min psychomotor task under four conditions, two of which increased achievement stress by promising the subject a monetary reward for rapid and accurate performance. The conditions were (a) task only, (b) task + reward, (c) task + alcohol, and (d) task + reward + alcohol. In condition (b) reward improved performance and heightened both physiological and subjective arousal, and in condition (c) alcohol impaired performance, lowered subjective arousal, and increased physiological arousal. In condition (d) the reward counteracted the depressant effects of alcohol on performance and mood, whereas an additive, arousing effect was obtained in all physiological variables, i.e., catecholamine and cortisol excretion and heart rate.

Catecholamine Output during and after Acute Alcoholic Intoxication

Catecholamine secretion was examined in 16 healthy Ss after intake of 1.43 g alc/kg body wt. Adrenaline and noradrenaline output were both significantly increased during acute intoxication, and adrenaline remained at an elevated level during the post-alcohol phase.

Sex-role orientation as related to psychological and physiological responses during achievement and orthostatic stress

The Bem sex-role inventory was used to select, from an Irish student population, females and males who differed with regard to feminine and masculine personality characteristics. Four groups were established for each sex: (1) subjects with low scores in both femininity and masculinity, i.e., “undifferentiated” subjects; (2) subjects with high scores in both femininity and masculinity, i.e., “androgynous” subjects; (3) subjects with high scores in femininity and low scores in masculinity; (4) subjects with high scores in masculinity and low scores in femininity. The Cattell 16 PF scale showed that the undifferentiated groups were more reserved and detached and more cautious and taciturn than the androgynous groups. Each subject was exposed to mental stress in one session and orthostatic stress in another session. Mental stress was induced by five different intellectual performance tests. Males and females differed significantly only on a test of perceptual speed, with females performing better than males, as expected. The group of androgynous females was superior to all other groups on four of the five performance tasks. The group of androgynous males was not superior in terms of objective performance but reported feeling more confident and

Performance Decrement after Intake of Meprobamate as a Function of Task Difficulty and Learning Level

The effect of 800 mg of meprobamate on performance in choice-reaction tasks of varying difficulty was examined. Comparisons between scores obtained in drug and placebo conditions showed that performance was progressively more impaired by the drug as task difficulty increased and progressively less impaired as learning level increased.