Mattila M J, Aranko K, Mattila M E, Paakkari I
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
J Psychopharmacol. 1994 Jan;8(2):81-7. doi: 10.1177/026988119400800202.
The digit-symbol substitution test (DSST), performed with paper and pencil or computerized, is widely used to reveal decrements in human attention and cognition. We programmed sets of adjustable tasks (digit-symbol, digit-digit, symbol-digit, symbol-symbol) into a microcomputer and compared the symbol-digit substitution (SDST) and the digit copying test (DDCT) with the traditional DSST in two placebo-controlled double-blind studies of psychotropic drugs with pre-trained young healthy subjects. Performances were measured before drug intake and several times after it; matched, different codes were used at consecutive tests. DSST and SDST substitutions remained at the baseline level after placebo, while the simple DDCT performance improved during the placebo session. The prolonged (3 min) test was not exhaustive because interim counts at 90 s predicted the final performance well. In Trial I, 15 mg diazepam orally reduced DSST and SDST functions in a similar way, but it also impaired simple copying in the DDCT, though to a lesser extent. Ebastine, an H(1)-antihistamine, proved inert alone and failed to increase the effects of diazepam on these variables. In Trial II, 7.5 mg zopiclone, 0.4 mg suriclone and 50 mg chlorpromazine, alone and in combinations, impaired the DSST performance in the manner expected. The drug effects were similar in the SDST, and somewhat less in the DDCT, while the substitution errors were subject related and not altered significantly by any treatment. The simple correlation matrices (Pearson, Spearman), confirmed by analysis of covariance, showed that the results of DSST correlated fairly well with those of SDST after zopiclone, chlorpromazine and their combination, but not after suriclone or its combination with chlorpromazine. The DDCT results correlated with those of the substitution tests when analysing pooled baseline values, but not when analysing the performances after drug intake. Subjective visual analogue variables correlated poorly or not at all with objective performances. Our results suggest that manual dexterity in these computerized tests might contribute significantly to the total impairment of performance in response to different drugs. The DSST and SDST matched each other fairly well in their sensitivity to drug effects, yet this similarity may depend on the drug used.
数字 - 符号替换测试（DSST），可以通过纸笔或计算机方式进行，被广泛用于揭示人类注意力和认知能力的下降。我们将几组可调整任务（数字 - 符号、数字 - 数字、符号 - 数字、符号 - 符号）编程到一台微型计算机中，并在两项针对预先训练过的年轻健康受试者的精神药物安慰剂对照双盲研究中，将符号 - 数字替换测试（SDST）和数字抄写测试（DDCT）与传统的DSST进行比较。在药物摄入前及摄入后多次测量表现；在连续测试中使用匹配的、不同的编码。服用安慰剂后，DSST和SDST替换保持在基线水平，而简单的DDCT表现则在安慰剂阶段有所改善。延长（3分钟）测试并不全面，因为90秒时的中期计数能很好地预测最终表现。在试验I中，口服15毫克地西泮以类似方式降低了DSST和SDST功能，但它也损害了DDCT中的简单抄写，不过程度较轻。依巴斯汀，一种H(1) - 抗组胺药，单独使用时无活性，且未能增强地西泮对这些变量的影响。在试验II中，7.5毫克佐匹克隆、0.4毫克舒必利克隆和50毫克氯丙嗪，单独使用及联合使用时，均以预期方式损害了DSST表现。药物对SDST的影响相似，对DDCT的影响稍小，而替换错误与受试者相关，且未因任何治疗而显著改变。经协方差分析确认的简单相关矩阵（皮尔逊、斯皮尔曼）显示，佐匹克隆、氯丙嗪及其联合使用后，DSST结果与SDST结果相关性相当好，但舒必利克隆或其与氯丙嗪联合使用后则不然。分析合并的基线值时，DDCT结果与替换测试结果相关，但分析药物摄入后的表现时则不然。主观视觉模拟变量与客观表现相关性很差或根本不相关。我们的结果表明，在这些计算机化测试中，手部灵活性可能对不同药物反应中表现的总体损害有显著贡献。DSST和SDST在对药物效果的敏感性方面相当匹配，但这种相似性可能取决于所使用的药物。
