title: Delineation of pharmacopsychological effects by means of endogenous event-related brain potentials: an exemplification with flupentixol.
abstract: A new experimental paradigm for studying cognitive functions by means of endogenous event-related brain potentials is presented. The paradigm has the following characteristics: (1) subcomponents of 'P300' (P3a, P3b, positive slow wave) and subcomponents of 'CNV' (early and late wave) are separated in time; (2) probability effects known to work on P300 subcomponents are completely under experimental control; and (3) psychologically defined antecedent conditions which affect particular endogenous components can be manipulated precisely and independently of each other. The usefulness of the paradigm for monitoring pharmacopsychological effects on cognitive functions is exemplified by means of flupentixol (Fluanxol 0.5). Reliable drug effects were observed with a dosage of 2 mg/day after 4 days of treatment. The results can be taken as evidence that flupentixol has an impairing effect on human information processing resources; in particular functions related to motor preparation, perceptual analysis, and memory retrieval are affected.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003265:Contingent Negative Variation / Q000187:drug effects; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005475:Flupenthixol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D013892:Thioxanthenes / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D013892:Thioxanthenes; D005475:Flupenthixol