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Alcohol Effects on Mood, Equilibrium, and Simulated Driving
Author(s) -
Liguori Anthony,
D'Agostino Ralph B.,
Dworkin Steven I.,
Edwards Don,
Robinson John H.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1999.tb04188.x
Subject(s) - mood , alcohol , psychology , chemistry , social psychology , biochemistry
Background : The effects of alcohol on simple versus complex psychomotor performance were compared in 18 adults. Methods : Subjects received ethanol doses of 0.0, 0.5, and 0.8 g/kg in a randomized, double‐blind, within‐subject design. Forty minutes after finishing their drinking, the subjects completed a 60‐min battery of tests that included: 1) a sensory organization posturography test (EquiTest); 2) latency to apply the brake after appearance of a barrier in a driving simulator (brake reaction time); 3) visual analog subjective‐effects scales (VAS); 4) the Profile of Mood States (POMS); 5) critical flicker fusion (CFF); and 6) choice reaction time (CRT). Results : Alcohol dose dependently reduced composite equilibrium scores and increased brake reaction time. On the CRT task, total reaction time was significantly increased after the high dose but not the low dose. Alcohol dose dependently increased VAS “dizzy,”“high,” and “drug effect” ratings. The POMS and CFF were not significantly affected by alcohol. Conclusions : These data suggest that an ethanol dose that neither influences certain mood states nor impairs simple psychomotor task performance nonetheless may impair equilibrium and complex psychomotor tasks (e.g., driving).