Time course of ACTH 4-10 effects on human attention

What Was Tested

Researchers studied ACTH (Corticotropin) in this randomized controlled trial publication.

In these studies the Nd component ('negative displacement') of the stimulus-evoked brain potential (event-related potential, ERP), which is a neurophysiological indicator of selective attention, proved most sensitive to effects of these peptides.

Here the researchers report results complementing these previous findings by establishing a time course of the effects of ACTH 4-10 on human attention.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 18 volunteers were involved.

PubMed indexes the participants as adults, men only.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover.

Because people in this ACTH (Corticotropin) study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

As a double-blind ACTH (Corticotropin) study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with ACTH (Corticotropin) could be set against what happens without it.

In the crossover set-up each of the volunteers took both ACTH (Corticotropin) and the comparison in turn, acting as their own control.

What Was Measured

Tests took place 0, 30, 90, 180, 330, 600 min, 24, 48 and 72 h after drug intake and took about 15 min.

Each subject was tested on 4 of these occasions, selected according to a random schedule.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Attention, Blood Pressure, Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem, Heart Rate, Hydrocortisone and Peptide Fragments.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of ACTH (Corticotropin) in 18 volunteers.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 1990 (Neuroendocrinology), a journal based in Switzerland.

More context: the ACTH (Corticotropin) compound page, all human trials.