Effects of Alcohol on Simulated Driving

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2008-03-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Previous studies have shown that alcohol significantly impairs driving performance. Acute alcohol administration also has a detrimental effect on secondary task performance during dual-tasks. The present study will investigate the effects of five different dosages of ethanol (0,0.2, 0,5, 0,8 and 1,0 % BAC) on performance in a driving simulator. Steering performance and brain activity will be recorded in both single- and dual-task conditions.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Treatments: Ethanol

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• He/she is aged between 21-50

• Written informed consent

• Right-handed

• Normal static binocular acuity, corrected or uncorrected

• Normal hearing

• Social Drinker (average of 7 to 21 alcoholic drinks per week)

• Possession of a drivers license

• Be considered as reliable and mentally capable of adhering to the protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current drug use (positive urine drug screen on the presence of amphetamines (including MDMA), barbiturates, cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, cocaine, and opiates)

• Positive urine pregnancy drug screen in women

• Use of psychoactive medication

• Positive alcohol breath test

• Prior enrolment in the same study

• Physical or mental illness

• Excessive alcohol use (>21 alcoholic drinks per week)

• Excessive smoking (more than 10 cigarettes per day)

• Intake of caffeine-containing beverages over 5 glasses per day