Effects of Dextromethorphan on Vibration Sensation
Author Information
Author(s): Stephen E. Folger, Vinay Tannan, Zheng Zhang, Jameson K. Holden, Mark Tommerdahl
Primary Institution: Elon University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hypothesis
What is the impact of dextromethorphan (DXM), an NMDAR antagonist, on vibrotactile adaptation tasks?
Conclusion
Dextromethorphan blocks vibrotactile adaptation, indicating that NMDAR-mediated neurotransmission is crucial for perceptual adaptive responses.
Supporting Evidence
- Subjects who ingested DXM showed significantly altered perceptual metrics compared to controls.
- The peak impact on subject response occurred 60 minutes post-ingestion.
- Without pre-exposure to adapting stimuli, there was little difference between DXM and control groups.
Takeaway
This study found that a medicine called dextromethorphan can change how people feel vibrations, making it harder for them to adapt to those feelings.
Methodology
Twenty subjects were tested using two protocols to evaluate their ability to discriminate between the amplitudes of vibrotactile stimuli before and after ingesting either DXM or a placebo.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and was limited to right-hand dominant individuals.
Participant Demographics
Subjects were aged 21-27 years, consisting of 11 males and 9 females, all right-hand dominant.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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