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Related Experiment Videos

Opiate-induced pupillary effects in humans.

W B Pickworth1, P Welch, J E Henningfield

  • 1NIDA, Addiction Research Center, Baltimore, MD.

Methods and Findings in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology
|December 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary

Opiates like morphine decrease pupil size and slow light reflex responses in humans. These pupillary changes may help quantify drug impairment.

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Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Pupillary responses are sensitive indicators of central nervous system activity.
  • Opiates are known to affect neurological functions, including pupillary dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the pupillary effects of various opiates in human volunteers.
  • To evaluate the utility of dynamic pupillary measures for estimating drug-induced impairment.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of six human volunteers participated in the study.
  • A novel handheld pupilometer, Pupilscan, was utilized to record pupillary responses.
  • Static (diameter) and dynamic (light reflex, redilation) pupillary parameters were measured after administration of morphine, heroin, codeine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and hydrocodone.

Main Results:

  • All tested opiates induced dose-related decreases in pupillary diameter.
  • Opiate administration significantly reduced the velocity of pupillary constriction to light.
  • The velocity of pupillary redilation following light stimulus was also diminished.

Conclusions:

  • Opiates induce systematic and quantifiable changes in human dynamic pupillary responses.
  • Measurements of these dynamic pupillary changes show potential for assessing drug-induced impairment.

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