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Alcohol intoxication reduces visual sustained attention

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Abstract

Effects of alcohol intoxication on visual sustained attention were studied using a vigilance task entailing detection of degraded target stimuli. Data were obtained in separate sessions under four ethanol doses, ranging from 0 (placebo) to 1.05 g/kg lean body weight, with periodic maintenance dosing of 0.12 g/kg. Intoxication lowered the overall level of detection performance, and in addition produced dose-related increases in the rate of performance decrement over time. Analysis of performance data using techniques derived from Signal Detection Theory indicated that the decrements were due specifically to alterations in perceptual sensitivity. Examination of eye movements and blinks indicated that the effects of ethanol were not mediated peripherally. Rather, alcohol appears to have deleterious effects on central processing capacity and the availability of capacity over time. The alcohol-related failure of sustained attention may contribute to increased accident risk in tasks requiring continuous performance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Clinical Studies, DICBR, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Building 10, Room 3C-218, 9000 Rockville Pike, 20892, Bethesda, MD, USA

    John W. Rohrbaugh, June M. Stapleton, Raja Parasuraman, Henri W. Frowein, Bryon Adinoff, Jerald L. Varner, Elizabeth A. Zubovic, Elizabeth A. Lane, Michael J. Eckardt & Markku Linnoila

  2. Department of Psychology, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA

    Raja Parasuraman

  3. PTT Centrale Direktie, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Henri W. Frowein

  4. Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA

    Jerald L. Varner

Authors
  1. John W. Rohrbaugh
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  2. June M. Stapleton
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  3. Raja Parasuraman
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  4. Henri W. Frowein
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  5. Bryon Adinoff
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  6. Jerald L. Varner
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  7. Elizabeth A. Zubovic
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  8. Elizabeth A. Lane
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  9. Michael J. Eckardt
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  10. Markku Linnoila
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Rohrbaugh, J.W., Stapleton, J.M., Parasuraman, R. et al. Alcohol intoxication reduces visual sustained attention. Psychopharmacology 96, 442–446 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02180021

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02180021

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