Marcelline Burns

The Long Beach/Fort Lauderdale relative risk study.

PROBLEM The role of alcohol as a major factor in traffic crash causation has been firmly established. However, controversy remains as to the precise shape of the relative risk function and the BAC at which crash risk begins to increase. METHODS This study used a case-control design in two locations: Long Beach, California, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Data were collected on 2,871 crashes of all severities and a matched control group of drivers selected from the same time, location, and direction of travel as the crash drivers. Of the 14,985 sample drivers, 81.3% of the crash drivers and 97.9% of the controls provided a valid BAC specimen. RESULTS When adjusted for covariates and nonparticipation bias, increases in relative risk were observed at BACs of .04-.05, and the elevations in risk became very pronounced when BACs exceeded .10. DISCUSSION The results provide strong support for .08 per se laws and for state policies that increase sanctions for BACs in excess of .15. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY This study provides further precision on the deleterious effects of alcohol on driving and, by implication, on other complex tasks.

The effects on performance of two antidepressants, alone and in combination with diazepam

1. Ninety healthy adult men participated in a study of the effects on performance of 60 mg fluoxetine, 50 mg amitriptyline or placebo, alone and in combination with 5 mg diazepam or placebo. 2. In a 2X3 factorial design study, groups of 15 Ss received one of six possible treatment combinations. 3. Ss were tested with a battery of laboratory tests at two post-dosing times. 4. Amitriptyline impaired the performance of all tasks. When diazepam was added to the amitriptyline treatment, the impairment of three tasks increased. Diazepam alone produced impairment on two measures. 5. Fluoxetine alone impaired no task; some impairment occurred with the fluoxetine-diazepam combination.

A laboratory study of patients with chronic allergic rhinitis: Antihistamine effects on skilled performance

Twenty-four patients with chronic allergic rhinitis participated in a study of antihistamine effects on skilled performance. They were tested while experiencing symptoms and when they were free of symptoms. Within each symptom condition, they attended two sessions; each patient received a placebo capsule at one session and a 50 mg diphenhydramine capsule at the other. Subjects performed a battery of skilled performance tests, which included the Divided-Attention, Visual Backward Masking, Stimulus Response Conflict, and Vigilance tests. They rated the treatments and their performance. Affective states were assessed with the Profile of Mood States. Symptoms did not affect performance. Diphenhydramine impaired vigilance performance and measures of Divided Attention and Stimulus Response Conflict. Visual Backward Masking performance was not affected. The largest performance changes occurred when diphenhydramine was administered to subjects when they were free of symptoms.

DRINKING AND DRIVING AMONG MEXICAN AMERICAN AND NON-HISPANIC WHITE MALES IN LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

Although drinking and driving in the United States has declined substantially during the past two decades, this trend has not been seen among Hispanic drivers. Higher rates of driving while impaired (DWI) arrests and alcohol-related crashes, particularly among Mexican Americans, also have been noted. The extent to which this reflects a lack of understanding of DWI laws rather than a disregard for them is unknown. A survey was conducted among Mexican American and non-Hispanic white male DWI arrestees in Long Beach, California, to ascertain alcohol use, attitudes toward drinking and drinking and driving, and knowledge of DWI laws. The findings were compared with those of Mexican American and non-Hispanic white males recruited from the local community. Mexican American males, both DWIs and those from the community, reported heavier drinking than non-Hispanic white males. All four groups of respondents tended to underestimate the number of drinks needed to achieve the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) threshold at or above which it is illegal to drive under California law. Estimations were around 2-3 drinks rather than a more realistic estimate of 4-5 drinks. However, Mexican American DWIs and their comparison group vastly overestimated the number of drinks to make them unsafe drivers (8- 10 drinks). Furthermore, fewer than half were aware of the BAC threshold in California (0.08%) compared with between 60 and 78% of non-Hispanic whites. This study is limited in scope and needs to be replicated in other communities and with other racial/ethnic groups. However, the clear lack of knowledge of the DWI law in California and a lack of understanding of the relationship between number of drinks and BAC point to the need for culturally sensitive programs that are developed and implemented within the Mexican American community.

Cognitive Performance in Geriatric Subjects after Acute Treatment with Antidepressants

The effects of amitriptyline, trazodone and placebo on cognitive skills performance were examined in a group of 15 normal volunteers with a minimum age of 60. Each subject was behaviorally tested after single, acute treatments at weekly sessions using a battery of tasks measuring visual search, division of attention, tracking, critical tracking, rate of information processing, and vigilance. Amitriptyline, 50 mg, produced impairment on the vigilance task, the divided attention task and the critical tracking task. In addition, episodes of extended insensitivity to external stimuli similar to short-term sleep occurred. In contrast, trazodone exhibited impairment only on the critical tracking task. This study indicates that trazodone is less likely than amitriptyline to produce impairment of skills performance aspects of cognition.

Police officers' detection of breath odors from alcohol ingestion

Police officers frequently use the presence or absence of an alcohol breath odor for decisions on proceeding further into sobriety testing. Epidemiological studies report many false negative errors. The current study employed 20 experienced officers as observers to detect an alcohol odor from 14 subjects who were at blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) ranging from zero to 0.130 g/dl. Over a 4 h period, each officer had 24 opportunities to place his nose at the terminal end of a 6 in. tube through which subjects blew. Subjects were hidden behind screens with a slit for the tube to prevent any but odor cues. Under these optimum conditions, odor was detected only two-thirds of the time for BACs below 0.08 and 85% of the time for BACs at or above 0.08%. After food consumption, correct detections declined further. Officers were unable to recognize whether the alcohol beverage was beer, wine, bourbon or vodka. Odor strength estimates were unrelated to BAC levels. Estimates of BAC level failed to rise above random guesses. These results demonstrate that even under optimum laboratory conditions, breath odor detection is unreliable, which may account for the low detection rate found in roadside realistic conditions.

An overview of field sobriety test research.

Traffic officers stop moving vehicles for probable cause, most frequently a traffic code violation. When an officer approaches the driver of a stopped vehicle, he may note an odor of alcohol or other signs indicating alcohol consumption. In such circumstances, it is the officers duty to undertake an alcohol investigation. If the driver is asked to get out of the vehicle to perform roadside maneuvers, the performance of the maneuvers, together with the officers observations and the drivers responses to questions, are the evidence on which an arrest or release decision is based. In some jurisdictions, officers also obtain a measurement of the drivers alcohol level with a Preliminary Breath Test, but not all agencies permit breath tests at roadside or provide the instruments for them. A Standardized Field Sobriety Test battery, which includes Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, Walk and Turn test, and One-leg Stand test, is widely used. If the driver is arrested, the admissibility of the officers testimony about them at trial often is challenged. Sobriety tests have been examined in three laboratory studies and five field studies in the United States. Two additional studies were conducted in Finland. To provide an overview of sobriety test research in a single publication, this paper presents the methods and findings of these studies.

Response Time to a First Signal as a Function of Time Relationship to a Second Signal and Mode of Presentation

Using a random presentation of inter-stimulus intervals between stimulus 1 and stimulus 2 in a psychological refractory period paradigm, this experiment permitted comparison of data obtained earlier using a block presentation. With 10 male Ss per study, response time to stimulus 1 increased at higher inter-stimulus intervals under block presentations but not under random presentations. The results are interpreted to support time-sharing between the processing mechanisms of the two stimuli rather than a single channel theory.

Fitness-for-Duty Testing: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities

Implementation issues of Fitness-For-Duty testing are discussed from the scientific, administrative, and labor viewpoints. Results on the sensitivity of 4 Fitness-For-Duty tests from a 24-subject laboratory experiment using alcohol as the stressor are also reported.