A clinical trial on the acute effects of methadone and buprenorphine on actual driving and cognitive function of healthy volunteers.

The present study assessed the acute effects of methadone and buprenorphine on actual on‐road driving performance and neurocognitive function. Analgesic doses of buprenorphine produced mild impairing effects on driving and related cognitive skills, while methadone impaired cognitive task performance but not driving performance. Large individual variations were observed for both drugs. Patients should be informed about the possibility of driving impairment when initiating opioid treatment

Experimental and Numerical Helicopter Pilot Characterization for Aeroelastic Rotorcraft-Pilot Coupling Analysis

Pilot-vehicle interaction represents a critical aspect of aircraft design. Very low-frequency, voluntary although unintentional interaction has been extensively investigated in fixed and rotary wing aeromechanics. Higher frequency, involuntary and thus passive interaction received similar attention in fixed wing aeromechanics, but not as much for rotary wing. The results of an experimental campaign for the characterization of the passive behaviour of rotorcraft pilots' biomechanics are presented. A flight simulator has been used to excite human subjects. The accelerations of their limbs and the motion induced by the vibrations of the limbs in the control inceptors have been recorded. The vertical, longitudinal and lateral directions have been independently excited, while measuring the motion of the arm directly involved in the control inceptor mostly affected by motion in each direction, namely the left and the right arms for the collective and the cyclic sticks, respectively. The frequency domain response has been evaluated; resulting noteworthy behaviour is discussed, addressing its relevance in modelling the passive behaviour of pilots within the bioaeroservoelastic rotorcraft analysis. The measurements of human body impedance, under realistic cockpit motion, are used to identify the direct transfer functions between the motion of the seat and the controls inadvertently fed back into the rotorcraft

High-potency marijuana impairs executive function and inhibitory motor control

Human performance studies have usually relied on low-potency marijuana (4% THC) for determining THC-induced impairment. The present study was designed to assess the effects of high-potency marijuana (13% THC) on human performance. In all, 20 recreational users of marijuana participated in a double-blind, placebo controlled, three way cross-over study. The treatments consisted of single doses of 0, 250, and 500 mg/kg THC. Performance tests were conducted at regular intervals between 15 min and 6 h postsmoking and included measures of motor control (Critical tracking task), executive function (Tower of London) motor impulsivity (Stop signal task), and risk taking (Iowa gambling task). THC significantly impaired performance in the Critical tracking task and decreased the number of correct decisions in the Tower of London task. In addition, THC significantly increased stop reaction time and the proportions of commission and omission errors in the Stop signal task. THC-induced impairments lasted up to 6 h postsmoking as indicated by the absence of a THC Â Time after smoking interaction. Effect sizes for performance impairments produced by THC 250 mg/kg were relatively low but generally increased by a factor of two in case of THC 500 mg/kg. These data suggest that high potency marijuana consistently impairs executive function and motor control. Use of higher doses of THC in controlled studies may offer a reliable indication of THC induced impairment as compared to lower doses of THC that have traditionally been used in performance studies