Evaluation of cognitive and psychomotor effects of nisoldipine or placebo in healthy volunteers

The purpose of this study was to compare the cognitive and psychomotor effe cts of the calcium antagonist nisoldipine with placebo in healthy volunteer s over the three-week period of this randomised, double-blind, parallel gro up trial. Thirty volunteers received either a twice-daily dose of 10 mg nis oldipine or placebo. Psychometric testing and measurement of blood pressure and heart rate were carried out on days 0, 7, 14 and 21. Psychometric test ing included: Critical Flicker Fusion (CFF), Choice Reaction Time (CRT), Di git Span (DS), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and Letter Cancellati on (LC). No significant treatment effects were found. CFF performance impro ved for both groups during the first week. In the CRT task, significant imp rovements were observed on days 14 and 21, relative to baseline, for total and motor reaction time. Similar improvements over time were found on the L C and DSST tasks. There were no significant differences between the active treatment and placebo for heart rate and systolic/diastolic blood pressure and nisoldipine was well tolerated. The results of this study indicate that nisoldipine does not have any cognition enhancing properties but, unlike s ome calcium antagonists, it does not markedly impair CNS activity. Copyrigh t (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.