caa a22 4500 469119624 CHVBK 20180323133134.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170328e19920901xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/BF02247426 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/BF02247426 Effects of acute subcutaneous nicotine on attention, information processing and short-term memory in alzheimer's disease [Elektronische Daten] [G. Jones, B. Sahakian, R. Levy, D. Warburton, J. Gray] This single-blind, placebo controlled study reports on the effects of administering three acute doses of nicotine (0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 mg) subcutaneously to a group of Alzheimer's disease (DAT) patients (n=22), young adult controls (n=24), and normal aged controls (n=24). The study extends our previous findings obtained using smaller groups of subjects. Drug effects were examined on three computerised tests: the first measuring rapid visual information processing, sustained visual attention and reaction time (RVIP task); a delayed response matching to location-order task measuring sustained visual attention and visual short-term memory (DRMLO task); and a finger tapping test measuring simple reaction time (FT task). The critical flicker fusion test (CFF) was used as a measure of perception and the WAIS digit span forwards (DS), of auditory short-term memory. Tests were graded in difficulty, titrated to avoid floor and ceiling effects so that meaningful, direct comparisons between groups could be made. Nicotine significantly improved sustained visual attention (in both RVIP and DRMLO tasks), reaction time (in both FT and RVIP tasks), and perception (CFF task — both ascending and descending thresholds). Nicotine administration did not improve auditory and visual short-term memory. There were no consistent, overall patterns of difference in performance between smokers and non-smokers in the control groups, or between males and females in any group. Despite the absence of change in memory functioning, these results demonstrate that DAT patients have significant perceptual and visual attention deficits which are improved by nicotine administration. The importance of measuring multiple abilities in future drug studies is emphasized and results are discussed in terms of nicotine's actions on attention, information processing and short-term memory. Springer-Verlag, 1992 Nicotine nationallicence Alzheimer's disease nationallicence Attention nationallicence Information processing nationallicence Short-term memory nationallicence Jones G. Department of Psychiatry, Section of Old Age Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AF, London, UK aut Sahakian B. Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EB, Cambridge, UK aut Levy R. Department of Psychiatry, Section of Old Age Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AF, London, UK aut Warburton D. Human Psychopharmacology Group, Department of Psychology, University of Reading, Earley Gate, RG6 2AL, Reading, UK aut Gray J. Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AF, London, UK aut Psychopharmacology Springer-Verlag 108/4(1992-09-01), 485-494 0033-3158 108:4<485 1992 108 213 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02247426 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02247426 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Jones G. Department of Psychiatry, Section of Old Age Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AF, London, UK aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Sahakian B. Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EB, Cambridge, UK aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Levy R. Department of Psychiatry, Section of Old Age Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AF, London, UK aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Warburton D. Human Psychopharmacology Group, Department of Psychology, University of Reading, Earley Gate, RG6 2AL, Reading, UK aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Gray J. Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, SE5 8AF, London, UK aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Psychopharmacology Springer-Verlag 108/4(1992-09-01), 485-494 0033-3158 108:4<485 1992 108 213 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer