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Effects of interferon alpha on performance in man: a preliminary report
1Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
Psychopharmacology
|January 1, 1988
Summary
High doses of interferon alpha (IFN) mimic influenza symptoms, slowing reaction times in volunteers. This suggests interferon
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Psychology
Background:
- Interferon alpha (IFN) is used therapeutically.
- Influenza infection is known to affect cognitive performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of different doses of interferon alpha (IFN) on human performance.
- To compare IFN-induced effects with influenza-like symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Volunteers received three doses of interferon alpha (1.5 Mu, 0.5 Mu, and 0.1 Mu).
- Performance was assessed using tasks measuring reaction time, pursuit tracking, and syntactic reasoning.
Main Results:
- The highest dose (1.5 Mu) of IFN induced symptoms similar to influenza.
- Volunteers exhibited slower reaction times specifically when anticipating a target stimulus.
- No significant impairment was observed in pursuit tracking or syntactic reasoning tasks.
Conclusions:
- Interferon alpha can induce cognitive changes affecting performance.
- These IFN-induced central nervous system (CNS) effects provide a potential explanation for performance deficits observed during influenza infections.