Citation

Gevins AS, Chan CS, Jiang A, Sam-Vargas L. Clin. Neurophysiol. 2013; 124(5): 870-880.

Affiliation

San Francisco Brain Research Institute & SAM Technology, San Francisco, CA 94131, USA. alan@sfbri.org

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.clinph.2012.10.013

PMID

23194853

PMCID

PMC3594131

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Extend a method to track neurophysiological pharmacodynamics during repetitive cognitive testing to a more complex "lifelike" task. METHODS: Alcohol was used as an exemplar psychoactive substance. An equation, derived in an exploratory analysis to detect alcohol's EEGs effects during repetitive cognitive testing, was validated in a Confirmatory Study on a new group whose EEGs after alcohol and placebo were recorded during working memory testing and while operating an automobile driving simulator. RESULTS: The equation recognized alcohol by combining five times beta plus theta power. It worked well (p < .0001) when applied to both tasks in the confirmatory group. The maximum EEG effect occurred 2-2.5 h after drinking (>1 h after peak BAC) and remained at 90% at 3.5-4 h (BAC < 50% of peak). Individuals varied in the magnitude and timing of the EEG effect. CONCLUSION: The equation tracked the EEG response to alcohol in the Confirmatory Study during both repetitive cognitive testing and a more complex "lifelike" task. The EEG metric was more sensitive to alcohol than several autonomic physiological measures, task performance measures or self-reports. SIGNIFICANCE: Using EEG as a biomarker to track neurophysiological pharmacodynamics during complex "lifelike" activities may prove useful for assessing how drugs affect integrated brain functioning.

Language: en