Effects of a subanaesthetic concentration of nitrous oxide on memory and subjective experience: Influence of assessment procedures and types of stimuli
Robert I. Block, M. M. Ghoneim, James V. Hinrichs, Viney Kumar, Dhirendra Pathak
Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental December 1, 1988 DOI: 10.1002/hup.470030405
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractBreathing 30% nitrous oxide in oxygen, compared to 100% oxygen, substantially impaired memory in 32 participants (16 men and 16 women). The memory impairments were less severe when tested with forced-choice recognition than with yes/no recognition, and for certain stimuli such as the first names of each participant's close relatives. Other variations in test procedures and stimuli did not affect the impairments. Nitrous oxide also produced numerous subjective effects, including some characteristic of psychedelic drugs, though standard subjective rating scales detected only sedation, not other mood effects.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 32 |
| Population | 16 men and 16 women |
| Dose | 30% nitrous oxide in oxygen |
| Key finding | Nitrous oxide produced substantial memory impairments, which were milder in forced-choice recognition and for personally relevant stimuli (first names of close relatives). |
Abstract
AbstractSubjects (16 men and 16 women) breathing 30 per cent nitrous oxide in oxygen, or 100 per cent oxygen, were tested to see if the effects of nitrous oxide on memory varied with different types of auditory stimuli and memory‐testing procedures. The drug produced substantial memory impairments. These impairments were milder in forced‐choice recognition than in yes/no recognition and for certain stimuli (first names of each subject's close relatives), but were not influenced by several other variations in test procedures and stimuli. Additional assessments indicated that nitrous oxide produced numerous subjective effects including some that are characteristic of psychedelic drugs. Subjective rating scales of the kind frequently used in drug studies revealed sedation but not the other mood effects.