Effects of oxazepam on performance and event-related brain potentials in vigilance tasks with static and dynamic stimuli

Eighteen males performed two vigilance tasks with static and dynamic stimuli under the influence of oxazepam (20 and 40 mg) in a placebo-controlled, double blind, crossover design. Oxazepam (40 mg) caused impaired performance in the early part of a task with stimuli inducing frequent saccadic eye movements (dynamic task), relative to a task in which the stimuli remained at the same location (static task). This could not be explained by effects of the drug on oculomotor behavior. A larger diameter of the pupil in the dynamic task indicated that performance on this task may have required more effort. Stimulus processing requirements were higher in the dynamic task, as suggested by event-related brain potentials (ERPs), in particular the P3 wave; i.e., more resources had to be allocated in this task. This (additional) investment of resources appeared impossible after administration of oxazepam (40 mg). The conclusion was that tasks eliciting frequent eye movements require more effort and processing resources.