Effects of information on the reinforcing, subjective, and psychomotor effects of nitrous oxide in healthy volunteers.
Drug and alcohol dependence November 25, 1997 J P Zacny, A M Cho, A Y Toledano et al.
Being told what drug and effects to expect can change how people respond to nitrous oxide. Healthy volunteers could choose between inhaling nitrous oxide (10-40% concentration) or placebo (oxygen) after sampling both. One group was told the concentration and typical effects (tingling, euphoria, dysphoria); the other was only told the drug came from one of six classes. Thirty percent nitrous oxide was chosen more often than chance only by informed participants, and the probability of choosing 20-40% nitrous oxide was higher in the informed group. Subjective effects were unaffected, but psychomotor impairment at the highest concentration was greater in the non-informed group, suggesting that information can modulate reinforcing and impairing effects.