RESUMO
Benzodiazepines are commonly used drugs to treat anxiety in crime witnesses. These increase GABA inhibitory effects, which impairs aversive memory encoding and consolidation. Eyewitness memory is essential in justice. However, memory is malleable leading to false memories that could cause a selection of an innocent in a lineup. Here, we studied whether a low dose of Clonazepam impairs memory encoding as well as consolidation of faces and narrative of the event. We performed two experiments using a double-blind and between subject design (N = 216). Day 1: subjects watched a crime video and received Clonazepam 0.25 mg (CLZ group) or placebo (PLC group) before (Exp. 1) or after the video (Exp. 2) to assess the effect on encoding and consolidation. One week later, the memory was assessed using a present and absent target lineup and asking for a free recall. Regarding encoding, we found that in the CLZ group memory was impaired in the free recall task, while no differences were found for recognition memory. Regarding consolidation, we did not observe memory measures that were affected by this dose of benzodiazepines. The results suggest that while some aspects of eyewitness memory could be modulated even with low doses of benzodiazepine, others could not be affected. More studies should be performed with higher doses of CLZ similar to those administered in real life. These results are relevant in the judicial field to assess the reliability of the eyewitness elections under the effects of this drug.
Assuntos
Clonazepam , Reconhecimento Facial , Rememoração Mental , Humanos , Reconhecimento Facial/efeitos dos fármacos , Reconhecimento Facial/fisiologia , Masculino , Método Duplo-Cego , Clonazepam/farmacologia , Adulto Jovem , Feminino , Adulto , Rememoração Mental/efeitos dos fármacos , Consolidação da Memória/efeitos dos fármacos , Reconhecimento Psicológico/efeitos dos fármacos , AdolescenteRESUMO
BACKGROUND: One of the most common mental disorders in the perinatal period is postpartum depression (PPD), which is associated with impaired emotional functioning due to alterations in different cognitive aspects including thought and facial emotion recognition (FER). Emotional impairments may affect the interaction and care offered to infants and their later development and therefore interventions with potential to minimize impairments associated with PPD are opportune. Oxytocin (OXT) was shown to have therapeutic properties associated with the promotion of affiliative and pro-social behaviors in different mental disorders. Few studies have assessed its therapeutic potential in PPD. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of the acute administration of intranasal OXT (24 IU) on FER of baby faces and negative thoughts after delivery in mothers with and without PPD. METHODS: We conducted a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a crossover design involving mothers with PPD (N = 20) and without PPD (N = 35) in the puerperium. Participants completed a static task of FER of baby faces and a questionnaire of post-natal negative thoughts. RESULTS: Mothers with PPD had increased scores of negative thoughts about motherhood/infants, but no impairments in FER, when compared to healthy mothers. OXT had no effects on the rates of correct judgments or response times in the FER task, but was associated with response biases to facial happiness and the reduction of negative thoughts in mothers with PPD. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: OXT may have positive effects on maternal affiliative behavior, maternal care, and mother-infant interactions as suggested by changes found in different cognitive aspects, thus minimizing the deleterious effects of PPD on child development.
Assuntos
Cognição/efeitos dos fármacos , Depressão Pós-Parto/tratamento farmacológico , Reconhecimento Facial/efeitos dos fármacos , Comportamento Materno/efeitos dos fármacos , Ocitocina , Administração Intranasal , Adulto , Método Duplo-Cego , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Ocitocina/administração & dosagem , Ocitocina/farmacologia , Período Pós-Parto/efeitos dos fármacos , Gravidez , Comportamento Social , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
RATIONALE: Individuals with music performance anxiety (MPA) present physical, behavioral, and cognitive manifestations of anxiety, in addition to information processing deficits, especially in facial emotion recognition (FER). OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of a single dose of intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) on FER in a sample of musicians with high and low MPA (primary outcome), as well as indicators of mood/anxiety and self-assessed performance (secondary outcomes). METHODS: Crossover, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 43 male musicians with different levels of MPA. Participants completed a static facial emotion recognition task and self-rated mood and performance scales. Data were analyzed using ANOVA 2 × 0 for crossover trials and the Omnibus test (measure of separability between intervention and carryover effects). RESULTS: Only musicians with high MPA treated with oxytocin had a higher accuracy in the recognition of happiness (p < 0.03; d > 0.72). No effects of oxytocin were found on mood indicators or on self-perceived performance, regardless of MPA level. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate possible benefits of the acute treatment with oxytocin in MPA, which may improve the management of this common and disabling condition that affects professional musicians. The appropriate perception of positive feedback may increase confidence and feelings of social acceptance, reducing symptoms associated with the condition. The lack of effects on mood/anxiety and cognition may be explained by the context-dependent characteristic of the effects of oxytocin, since the experiment did not represent an actual situation of social threat. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos): No. RBR-9cph2q.