Effect of Affective Content on Drug Induced Amnesia of Episodic Memory

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2008-08-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

The purpose of this research is to understand how some of the drugs commonly used in anesthesia impair memory. We are particularly interested in whether the emotion associated with a memory influences how well these drugs are able to block memory. We are studying four commonly used drugs-propofol, thiopental, midazolam, and dexmedetomidine, all of which may have slightly differing effects. We will also study an inactive substance, called a placebo, that should have no effect. The results of this study will provide information that will be useful in understanding how memory works, how these drugs affect memory, and possibly why some people don't have their memory blocked as easily as others.

• Phase: Phase 1
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Treatments: Dexmedetomidine; Midazolam; Propofol; Thiopental

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy normal volunteers, age 18 to 50 years *,who show no evidence of neurologic deficit on questionnaire and physical examination.

• Females must be non-pregnant as demonstrated using a serum pregnancy test.

• Right hand dominant.

• High school education or above.

• English as native language or equivalent degree of fluency. *Age group selected based on pharmacokinetic models for drug infusion, and norms for standardized memory tests.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any evidence of neurologic deficit including seizures, severe head trauma resulting in unconsciousness, or any previously abnormal study of CNS - (e.g. MRI, EEG, etc.)

• Any deficit in auditory or visual ability.

• Any history of hypertension (resting BP >150 systolic, >100 diastolic) or taking anti- hypertensive medication or cardiovascular disease.

• Significant pulmonary, renal, gastrointestinal, or endocrine metabolic disease which in the opinion of the investigator would complicate the goals of this study.

• Allergy to propofol or eggs.

• History of acute intermittent porphyria in subject or subject's blood relatives.

• History of substance abuse

• Currently taking centrally acting medications (e,g, benzodiazepines or anti depressants)

• Subjects whose body weight relative to their height exceeds accepted criteria for defining obesity in the general population (Body Mass Index > 30). Excess weight can affect the pharmacodynamics of the drug in the body.

• Anyone who, in the opinion of the investigators, would be unwilling or unable to tolerate the procedures and/or comply with the task instructions.