Abstract
DIAZEPAM (‘Valium’, Roche) is a recently introduced anti-anxiety drug of the 1,4-benzodiazepine series1,2. Clinically, it is usually said to act for 6–8 h, but quantitative data about the time course of functional changes in man do not appear to be available. Measurements of changes in the visual critical flicker fusion threshold (CFFT) and its auditory equivalent, the auditory flutter fusion threshold (AFFT), have been used for this purpose and the results are reported below. The fusion thresholds measure the ability of subjects to discriminate between rapidly repeated sensory stimuli, and both have been shown to be sensitive to the effects of small doses of centrally acting drugs3–6, which may impair or improve this discrimination.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Randall, L. O., Heise, G. A., Schallek, W., Bagdon, R., Banziger, R., Boris, A., Moe, R., and Abrams, W., Curr. Therap. Res., 3, 405 (1961).
Kerry, R. J., and Jenner, F. A., Psychopharmacology, 3, 302 (1962).
Besser, G. M., Proc. Symp. Drugs and Sensory Functions (J. and A. Churchill, London, in the press, 1967).
Besser, G. M., Duncan, C., and Quilliam, J. P., Nature, 211, 751 (1966).
Besser, G. M., Nature, 213, 17 (1967).
Turner, P., thesis, Univ. London (1965).
Schwartz, M. A., Koechlin, B. A., Postman, E., Palmer, S., and Krol, G., J. Pharmacol., 149, 423 (1965).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BESSER, G. Time Course of Action of Diazepam. Nature 214, 428 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/214428a0
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/214428a0
This article is cited by
-
Beziehung zwischen objektiven und subjektiven Meßmethoden bei experimentell erzeugter «Ermüdung»
Zeitschrift für Prāventivmedizin - Revue de Médecine Préventive (1973)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.