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Cognitive, psychomotor, and subjective effects of sodium oxybate and triazolam in healthy volunteers

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Abstract

Rationale

Illicit gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) has received attention as a “date rape drug” that produces robust amnesia; however, there is little experimental evidence in support of GHB’s amnestic effects.

Objectives

This study compared the cognitive effects of GHB (sodium oxybate) with those of triazolam in healthy volunteers.

Materials and methods

Doses of sodium oxybate (1.125, 2.25, and 4.5 g/70 kg), triazolam (0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/70 kg), and placebo were administered to 15 volunteers under repeated measures, counterbalanced, double-blind, double-dummy conditions. The time course and peak physiological, psychomotor, subjective, and cognitive effects were examined.

Results

Sodium oxybate and triazolam produced similar increases in participant ratings of drug effects. Performance on psychomotor, working memory, and episodic memory tasks was impaired to a greater extent after triazolam than sodium oxybate.

Conclusions

Together, these data suggest that sodium oxybate produces less psychomotor and cognitive impairment than triazolam at doses that produce equivalent participant-rated subjective effects in healthy volunteers.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Crystal Barnhouser, Kristina Burns, Jeff Galecki, Veena Rao, Giselle Spence, and John Yingling for technical assistance and Paul Nuzzo for data analysis. This study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Grants R01 DA03889 and T32 DA07209. Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) and placebo solutions were generously provided by Orphan Medical; Minnetonka, MN, which was acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Palo Alto, CA. Lawrence Carter is a former employee of Jazz Pharmaceuticals and owns company stock valued at less than $1,000. Roland Griffiths is principal investigator on grants R01 DA03889 and R01 DA03890 and is a co-investigator on a contract and several other grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. During the past 3 years, on issues related to drug abuse liability, he has been a consultant to or has received contracts or grants from the following pharmaceutical companies: Abbott Laboratories, Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Forest Laboratories, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co, Neurocrine Biosciences, Novartis, Pharmacia Corporation, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, TransOral Pharmaceuticals, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Miriam Mintzer is principal investigator on grants R01 DA11936 and R01 DA17688 and is a co-investigator on several other grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Center for Addiction Research, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Street #843, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA

    Lawrence P. Carter

  2. Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5510 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA

    Roland R. Griffiths & Miriam Z. Mintzer

Authors
  1. Lawrence P. Carter
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  2. Roland R. Griffiths
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Correspondence to Miriam Z. Mintzer.

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Carter, L.P., Griffiths, R.R. & Mintzer, M.Z. Cognitive, psychomotor, and subjective effects of sodium oxybate and triazolam in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology 206, 141–154 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-009-1589-1

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