title: Effects of dimepramine fumarate on physiological and cognitive behaviors of Parkinson patients.
abstract: Nine patients 55 to 74 years old with Parkinson's disease were tested before and after treatment with 50 to 225 mg dimepramine fumarate (CIBA G-31406) for about three weeks daily in order to determine the drug's effects on electrodermal responsiveness to a series of unpredictably occurring loud sounds. Twelve control subjects were tested and retested with the same procedure. In addition, the Parkinson patients received a number of cognitive tests before and after drug treatment. Results indicated that the drug tends to decrease autonomic arousal responses as measured by resting conductance levels, number of fluctuations in skin conduction per minute, orienting response, and habituation rate. These decreases in measures of arousal generally were accompanied by lowered performance scores on several tests of memory and temporal discrimination ability.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000187:drug effects; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007099:Imipramine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D009949:Orientation / Q000187:drug effects; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors; D013998:Time Perception / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; C012269:depramine; D007099:Imipramine