title: Chronic alcohol abuse and the acute sedative and neurophysiologic effects of midazolam.
abstract: The aim of the present investigation was to examine benzodiazepine sensitivity in abstinent alcoholics. For this purpose, two escalating doses of the benzodiazepine midazolam were i.v. administered to nine alcohol-dependent patients after 2-3 weeks of abstinence and 12 healthy, non-alcoholic volunteers. A variety of dependent measures were examined, including the power spectrum of the resting electroencephalogram (EEG) and evoked EEG responses, saccadic eye movements, self-reported sedation, and vigilance task performance. Analyses revealed a significant association between plasma midazolam levels and changes in EEG beta power, pattern shift visual evoked potential amplitude, heart rate, and saccade amplitude and velocity. The patient and control groups differed significantly in the onset latencies of their saccadic eye movements, and marginally in EEG beta power, both before and after midazolam. However, no differences were detected between the groups in the dose of midazolam required to produce sedation or in midazolam's neurophysiological effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington 06030, USA.
authors.forename: L O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Greenblatt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology*; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001146:Arrhythmia, Sinus / Q000503:physiopathology; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects*; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000187:drug effects; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008874:Midazolam / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D012438:Saccades / Q000187:drug effects; D013695:Temperance
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D008874:Midazolam