title: Effects of repeated dosing with mirtazapine, trazodone, or placebo on driving performance and cognitive function in healthy volunteers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate the effects of repeated treatments with the sedative antidepressants mirtazapine and trazodone on driving performance and cognitive function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen healthy men received continuous nocturnal doses of 15-mg mirtazapine , 25-mg trazodone, or placebo for 8 days in a double-blinded, three-way crossover trial. Subjects were asked to perform three driving tasks (road tracking, car following, and harsh braking) using a driving simulator and cognitive tasks (the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Continuous Performance Test, and N-back Test) at baseline and on Days 2 and 9. Stanford Sleepiness Scale scores were also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mirtazapine significantly increased the standard deviation of lateral position in the road-tracking task as compared with trazodone on Day 2. Mirtazapine significantly increased Stanford Sleepiness Scale scores as compared with trazodone and placebo. For the remaining tasks, no significant effects of treatment were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acute treatment of mirtazapine impaired road-tracking performance and increased sleepiness, but sedative effects disappeared under repeated administrations. Trazodone did not affect driving performance or cognitive function under acute or repeated administrations. Both initial sedative effects and pharmacological profiles should be taken into consideration when using sedative antidepressants.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
authors: Kazumi
authors: K
authors: Sasada
authors: Kunihiro
authors: K
authors: Iwamoto
authors: Naoko
authors: N
authors: Kawano
authors: Kunihiro
authors: K
authors: Kohmura
authors: Maeri
authors: M
authors: Yamamoto
authors: Branko
authors: B
authors: Aleksic
authors: Kazutoshi
authors: K
authors: Ebe
authors: Yukihiro
authors: Y
authors: Noda
authors: Norio
authors: N
authors: Ozaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology; D001334:Automobile Driving; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008803:Mianserin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008875:Middle Aged; D000078785:Mirtazapine; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000187:drug effects; D014196:Trazodone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D008803:Mianserin; D000078785:Mirtazapine; D014196:Trazodone