Selective impairment in the recognition of anger induced by diazepam.
BACKGROUND
Facial expressions appear to be processed by at least partially separable neuro-cognitive systems. Given this functional specialization of expression processing, it is plausible that these neurocognitive systems may also be dissociable pharmacologically.


OBJECTIVE
The present study therefore compared the effects of diazepam (15 mg) with placebo upon the ability to recognize emotional expressions.


METHODS
A double blind, independent group design was used to compare the effects of diazepam and matched placebo in 32 healthy volunteers. Participants were presented morphed facial expression stimuli following a paradigm developed for use with patients with brain damage and asked to name one of the six basic emotions (sadness, happiness, anger, disgust, fear and surprise).


RESULTS
Diazepam selectively impaired subjects' ability to recognize angry expressions but did not affect recognition of any other emotional expression.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings are interpreted as providing further support for the suggestion that there are dissociable systems responsible for processing emotional expressions. It is suggested that these findings may have implications for understanding paradoxical aggression sometimes elicited by benzodiazepines.
Blair
R J
RJ
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London, UK. j.blair@ucl.ac.uk
Curran
H V
HV
D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D012938:Social Perception
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D003975:Diazepam