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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Recording Brain Electromagnetic Activity During the Administration of the Gaseous Anesthetic Agents Xenon and Nitrous Oxide in Healthy Volunteers
Published on: January 13, 2018
The reinforcing effects of brief exposures to nitrous oxide in healthy volunteers
J P Zacny1, J M Klafta, D W Coalson
1Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, The Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Abstract:
The reinforcing and subjective effects of brief (about 1.5 min) exposures to nitrous oxide, ranging from inspired concentrations of 20-80% in oxygen, were examined in 11 healthy volunteers. A choice procedure was used in which during each of four sessions, subjects first sampled a given concentration of nitrous oxide and placebo oxygen, and then chose between the two. 20, 40, 60 and 80% nitrous oxide were chosen by five, four, three, and three subjects, respectively--these choice levels did not exceed that of chance. All concentrations had psychoactive effects, and in general, concentration-related subjective effects were found. We conclude that in a medical setting, nitrous oxide inhaled in a manner similar to that when used recreationally in a naturalistic setting, does not function as a reinforcer across a wide range of concentrations, in subjects with a modest lifetime history of psychoactive drug use.
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