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Detecting impairment: Sensitive cognitive measures of dose-related acute alcohol intoxication
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-18, 07:37 authored by Cash, C, Amy PeacockAmy Peacock, Barrington, HN, Sinnett, N, Raimondo BrunoRaimondo BrunoThe cognitive impairment that results from acute alcohol intoxication is associated with considerable safety risks. Other psychoactive substances, such as medications, pose a similar risk to road and workplace safety. However, there is currently no legal limit for operating vehicles or working while experiencing drug-related impairment. The current study sought to identify a brief cognitive task sensitive to a meaningful degree of impairment from acute alcohol intoxication to potentially stand as a reference from which to quantify impairment from other similar substances. A placebo-controlled single-blind crossover design was employed to determine the relative sensitivity of four commonly-administered cognitive tasks (Compensatory Tracking Task, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Brief Stop Signal Task and Inspection Time Task) to alcohol-related impairment in male social drinkers at ~0.05% ascending breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), ~0.08% peak BrAC and 0.05% descending BrAC. The Inspection Time Task was identified as the most sensitive task, detecting a medium to large magnitude increase in impairment (g ≈ 0.60) at 0.05% ascending and descending BrAC, and a large magnitude effect size (g = 0.80) at 0.08% peak BrAC. The remaining tasks failed to demonstrate sensitivity to dose-dependent and limb-dependent changes in alcohol-induced impairment. The Inspection Time Task was deemed the most sensitive task for screening alcohol-related impairment based on the present results. Confirmation of equivalence with other drug-related impairment and sensitivity to alcohol-induced impairment in real-world settings should be established in future research.
History
Publication title
Journal of PsychopharmacologyVolume
29Issue
4Pagination
436-446ISSN
0269-8811Department/School
School of Psychological SciencesPublisher
Sage Publications LtdPlace of publication
6 Bonhill Street, London, England, Ec2A 4PuRights statement
Copyright 2015 The AuthorsRepository Status
- Restricted