title: Neuromodulatory effect of bromazepam on motor learning: an electroencephalographic approach.
abstract: To investigate the effects of bromazepam on motor performance and electroencephalographic activity (qEEG) in healthy subjects, during the process of learning a typewriting task, with a focused attention demand. A randomized double-blind model was used to allocate subjects in one of the following conditions: placebo (n=13), bromazepam 3 mg (n=13) or bromazepam 6 mg (n=13). Forty minutes after treatment administration, subjects were submitted to the motor task. EEG activity was recorded simultaneously. The analyzed variables were: number of errors and execution time, which were extracted from each block of the typewriting task, and mean relative power values in the beta band (13-35 Hz), extracted from the qEEG. A significantly lower number of typing errors was observed in both bromazepam conditions (Br 3 mg and Br 6 mg) when compared to the placebo. There was no difference between the two bromazepam conditions. For the execution time variable, a better performance was observed in the Br 3 mg condition, but with no statistical significance. The highest degree of cortical activation during the task was observed in Br 3 mg and Br 6 mg when compared to placebo. The medication's anxiolytic effect intensifies the attentional focus over predictable events occurring in reduced perceptual fields. The qEEG's accentuated response in pre-motor and primary motor areas suggests a greater effort directed to the most relevant aspects of the task. In short, the doses employed (3 and 6 mg) seem to enhance the learning of motor tasks that involve focused attention, such as typewriting.
authors.affiliation: Brain Mapping and Sensory Motor Integration, Institute of Psychiatry of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IPUB/UFRJ), Brazil. marlo.marques@bol.com.br
authors.forename: Marlo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.forename: Dionis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Victor H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Maurício
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cagy
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Basile
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Piedade
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001611:Beta Rhythm; D001960:Bromazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects*; D018757:GABA Modulators / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques
chemical_list: D018757:GABA Modulators; D001960:Bromazepam