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Effects of d-amphetamine in grouped versus isolated humans
H de Wit1, M Clark, L H Brauer
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
|May 1, 1997
Summary
Social settings may amplify stimulant drug effects in humans, particularly physiological responses like heart rate and body temperature. However, subjective and behavioral effects remained largely unchanged regardless of isolation or social conditions.
Area of Science:
- Psychopharmacology
- Human behavioral pharmacology
Background:
- Stimulant drug effects can be influenced by environmental context.
- Previous animal studies suggest social conditions enhance stimulant effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if social versus isolated conditions alter subjective, behavioral, or physiological effects of d-amphetamine in humans.
- To compare human responses to stimulant drugs in social and isolated settings.
Main Methods:
- Forty-two subjects were randomized into social (groups) or isolated (alone) conditions.
- Subjects received d-amphetamine (10 or 20 mg) or placebo in a double-blind, mixed-order design.
- Subjective, physiological, and behavioral measures were collected throughout the sessions.
Main Results:
- D-amphetamine produced dose-dependent stimulant effects across most measures, irrespective of social or isolated conditions.
- Body temperature was higher in the social group, with a trend for greater d-amphetamine-induced hyperthermia.
- Heart rate increased with 10 mg d-amphetamine in the social group but not the isolated group.
Conclusions:
- Some physiological effects of stimulants in humans, like heart rate and body temperature, may be enhanced in social settings, similar to animal models.
- Unlike animal studies, subjective and behavioral stimulant effects in humans were not significantly altered by social versus isolated conditions.