title: Anticholinergic drug effects on quantitative electroencephalogram, visual evoked potential, and verbal memory.
abstract: Electroencephalographic (EEG) power and coherence spectrum and visual evoked potential (VEP) recordings were made in a group of control subjects on two occasions, a week apart, before and after the subcutaneous administration of either 0.6 mg scopolamine (hyoscine-hydrobromide), a centrally acting anticholinergic drug, or 0.5 mg methscopolamine nitrate, a peripherally acting anticholinergic drug. After scopolamine administration, the EEG power spectrum significantly slowed and EEG coherence at the alpha and beta frequencies decreased. Left interhemispheric coherence increased at 1 Hz and 3-7 Hz. Methscopolamine had no significant effect on the quantitative EEG. The latency of the major positive components of the VEPs, to both flash and pattern stimuli, were not significantly affected by either drug. Verbal memory was significantly reduced after scopolamine. The results suggest that previous reports of scopolamine-induced changes in the EEG power spectrum and in verbal memory can be attributed to the central action of the drug rather than to peripheral side effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, Scotland, Great Britain.
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Sloan
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Fenton
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Standage
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects*; D019832:N-Methylscopolamine; D010276:Parasympatholytics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012602:Scopolamine Derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D010276:Parasympatholytics; D012602:Scopolamine Derivatives; D012601:Scopolamine; D019832:N-Methylscopolamine