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Assessing the validity of eyelid parameters to detect impairment due to benzodiazepines
Author(s) -
Wilkinson Vanessa E.,
Jackson Melinda L.,
Westlake Justine,
Stevens Bronwyn,
Barnes Maree,
Cori Jennifer,
Swann Philip,
Howard Mark E.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
human psychopharmacology: clinical and experimental
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.461
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1099-1077
pISSN - 0885-6222
DOI - 10.1002/hup.2723
Subject(s) - eyelid , psychomotor learning , audiology , medicine , anesthesia , benzodiazepine , area under the curve , receiver operating characteristic , psychology , simulation , cognition , surgery , computer science , psychiatry , receptor
Objective Benzodiazepines impair driving ability and psychomotor function. Eyelid parameters accurately reflect drowsiness; however, the effects of benzodiazepines on these measures have not been extensively studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of benzodiazepines on eyelid parameters and evaluate their accuracy for detecting psychomotor impairment. Methods Eyelid parameters were recorded during a psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) and driving simulation over 2 days, baseline, and after 20‐mg oral temazepam. The utility of eyelid parameters for detecting PVT lapses was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves, and cut‐off levels indicating impairment (≥1 and ≥2 PVT lapses per min) were identified. The accuracy of these cut‐off levels for detecting driving simulator crashes was then examined. Results PVT and driving simulator performance was significantly impaired following benzodiazepine administration ( p < .05). Average eyelid closure duration (inter‐event duration) was a reliable indicator of PVT lapses (area under the curve [AUC] of 0.87–0.90). The cut‐off value of eyelid closure duration derived from PVT AUC was able to predict driving simulator crashes with moderately high sensitivity and specificity (76.23% and 75.00%). Conclusions Eyelid parameters were affected by benzodiazepines and accurately detected the psychomotor impairment. In particular, eyelid closure duration is a promising real‐time indicator of benzodiazepine impairment.