Central, Peripheral, and Hormonal Effects of Scopolamine in Male Volunteers
Abstract
Scopolamine (12 to 20 micrograms/Kg) was given to seven men intravenously. Reduction in motor performance and in ability to add numbers was evident for 4 to 8 hours after injection. Delusions, hallucinations, slurred speech, and disconnected sentence structure lasted 1 to 3 hours. An initial mydriasis correlated with tachycardia and a subsequent mydriasis correlated with maximal decrement in ability to add numbers. Plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) peaked at 30 minutes in three out of four subjects; follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) but not LH was released in the remaining subject. No effects on testosterone, growth hormone, or thyrotropin were observed. Stimulation of cortisol release was greater after scopolamine than after control injection in each of four subjects. Smaller decrements in ability to add numbers seemed correlated with higher 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) excretion, whereas higher levels of incapacitation seemed related to reduced 5-HIAA excretion. These findings are discussed in relation to a possible serotoninergic basis for scopolamine intoxication.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1977
- Accession Number
- ADA040384
Entities
People
- Frederick R. Sidell
- George M. Vaughan
- Kenneth M. Wilson
- Leo L. Laughlin
- Mary K. Vaughan
- Paul D. Woolf
- Shiu F. Pang
Organizations
- United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center