[A new method for testing the psychopharmacologic pupil oscillation hypothesis following administration of a...

Recently a new, precise and economical method for measuring central nervous activation in psychopathological groups was presented. By means of this procedure, the ¿psychopharmacological pupillary oscillations hypothesis¿ after administration of the nootropic compound bifemelane (CAS 90293-01-9) was examined in oder to assess pharmacologically induced changes in central activation. Before calculating the Fourier analysis, blinks have to be identified and eliminated by means of a new technique, which is called ¿smoothing¿. After application of bifemelane, a marked improvement of symptoms caused by cerebro-vascular disorders was reported. 18 subjects (7 females and 11 males), aged between 60 and 80 years, with a neurological and psychic age-adequate state, from whom a written, informed consent was obtained, participated voluntarily in the study. A placebo-controlled and double-blind design were administered in an interval of 8 days in cross-over design. The study, which also included measurement of noopsychic and thymopsychic changes, was carried out before and in the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th hour after application of the substances. In the slow frequency band, after application of bifemelane, an increase of activation (higher amplitudes) could be observed, which lasted from the 2nd to the 4th hour. However, differences between bifemelane and placebo did not reach the level of statistical significance. In faster frequencies, a reduction of the height of the amplitudes was found. Regarding the total spectrum, in the 2nd hour a moderate increase of activation could be demonstrated.