THE EFFECTS OF DIAZEPAM ON SELF-INFORMED AROUSAL AND SUSTAINED ATTENTION

The use of benzodiazepines seems to be associated with a deficit in th e levels of arousal and attention during vigil. A number of studies ha ve found residual effects a few hours after the intake of these drugs. This paper assesses the effects of a single dose of 10 mg diazepam on self-informed arousal (as evaluated with the Stanford Sleepiness Scal e) and sustained attention (as evaluated with the Toulouse Pieron test ) the morning after oral intake (11 hours later). Potential difference s in the residual effects of benzodiazepines on men and women were als o examined. A sample of 42 healthy young university students (21 femal e, 21 male) was exposed to three counterbalanced experimental conditio ns (control, placebo, diazepam). Diazepam only caused a reduction in a rousal in women, and this deficit was similar to that caused by the in take of a placebo.