title: Acute effects of alprazolam on risky decision making in humans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  GABA-A receptor ligands, including benzodiapines, may induce disinhibitory effects that increase the probability of risky decision making. To date, few laboratory studies have examined the acute, dose-related effects of benzodiazepines on human risk-taking behavior. Recent data indicate that in the United States alprazolam is the benzodiazepine most frequently misused for recreational purposes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study was designed to demonstrate a dose-response relationship between acute alprazolam administration and human risk taking. Furthermore, this investigation sought to examine: (1) the behavioral mechanisms that may be involved in changes in the probability of risky decision making related to alprazolam administration and (2) risk seeking-related personality variables that may predict drug effects on risk taking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a laboratory measure of risk taking designed to address acute drug effects, 16 adults were administered placebo, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg alprazolam in a within-subject repeated-measures design. The risk-taking task presented subjects with a choice between two response options operationally defined as risky and nonrisky. Data analyses examined subjective effects, response rates, distribution of choices between the risky and nonrisky option, trial-by-trial response probabilities, and personality correlates related to drug effects at the 2.0-mg dose.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Alprazolam administration produced dose-related changes in subjective effects, response rates, and, most importantly, dose-dependently increased selection of the risky response option. The 2.0-mg dose increased the probability of making consecutive risky responses following a gain on the risky response option. Increases at 2.0 mg were related to a combination of personality scales that included high venturesomeness and novelty seeking and low harm avoidance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alprazolam administration produced increases in human risk taking under laboratory conditions. In union with previous studies, the observed shift in trial-by-trial response probabilities suggests that sensitivity to consequences (e.g., oversensitivity to recent rewards) may be an important mechanism in the psychopharmacology of risky decision making. Additionally, risk-seeking personality traits may be predictive of acute drug effects on risk-taking behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UTHSC-Houston, TX 77030, USA. scott.d.lane@uth.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Oleg V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Tcheremissine
authors.forename: Lori M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lieving
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nouvion
authors.forename: Don R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Cherek
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000525:Alprazolam / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000652:urine; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003657:Decision Making / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D018757:GABA Modulators / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010919:Placebos; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D012309:Risk-Taking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013607:Tablets
chemical_list: D018757:GABA Modulators; D010919:Placebos; D013607:Tablets; D000525:Alprazolam