Conditioned emotional responding under diazepam: a psychophysiological study of state dependent learning.
An experimental study on 34 healthy male volunteers demonstrated that a therapeutic dose of diazepam (15 mg PO) influenced the reproduction of a conditioned emotional response (skin conductance activity) on subsequent test days. This effect depended upon the pharmacological state present at acquisition, and was in accordance with a drug-dissociation interpretation of diazepam's amnesic effect. The results are interpreted as an example of diazepam state-dependency effects upon development of behavioral tolerance to stress. The clinical consequence of the results indicates that patients under diazepam medication will to a certain degree be deprived of the ability to develop appropriate coping strategies. It is concluded that combining psychotherapy with diazepam treatment may have the opposite effects to those intended.
Jensen
H H
HH
Institute of Clinical Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Hutchings
B
B
Poulsen
J C
JC
D000328:Adult; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects*; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors
D003975:Diazepam