title: Analysis of the influence of bromazepam on cognitive performance through the visual evoked potential (P300).
abstract: Benzodiazepines have been used in the pharmacological treatment of anxiety for over four decades. However, very few studies have combined bromazepam and event-related potentials (ERP). The present study aimed at investigating the modulatory effects of this drug on brain dynamics. Specifically, the effects of bromazepam (3 mg) on the P300 component of the ERP were tested in a double-blind experiment. The sample, consisting of 15 healthy subjects (7 male and 8 female), was submitted to a visual discrimination task, which employed the "oddball" paradigm. Electrophysiological (P300) and behavioral measures (stroop, digit span, and reaction time) were analyzed across three experimental conditions: placebo 1, placebo 2, and bromazepam. Results suggest that the effects of bromazepam (3 mg) on cognitive processes are not apparent. In spite of what seems irrefutable in current literature, bromazepam did not produce evident effects on the behavioral and electrophysiological variables analyzed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Mapeamento Cerebral e Integração Sensório-Motora, Instituto de Psiquiatria (IPUB), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brazil. fernandapuga@globo.com
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Puga
authors.forename: Heloisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Veiga
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cagy
authors.forename: Kaleb
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McDowell
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Piedade
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001960:Bromazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004594:Electrophysiology; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000187:drug effects*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D001960:Bromazepam