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. 1976 Aug;3(4):551–559. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1976.tb04874.x

A comparison of some physiological and psychological effects of propranolol and diazepam in normal subjects

Heather Ashton, J E Millman, Rosemary Telford, J W Thompson
PMCID: PMC1428901  PMID: 22216493

Abstract

1 Some central and peripheral effects of orally administered propranolol (60 mg), diazepam (5 mg) and placebo were compared in normal subjects.

2 The central effects measured were changes in magnitude of the contingent negative variation (CNV) and subjective anxiety ratings; the peripheral effects were changes in heart rate, blood pressure, galvanic skin response and hand steadiness.

3 After diazepam there was a decrease in CNV magnitude and in the level of subjective anxiety; there was a slight fall in blood pressure but little change in heart rate.

4 After propranolol, on the other hand, there was no significant change in CNV magnitude or anxiety rating, but a significant fall in heart rate and systolic blood pressure.

5 It is concluded that, at the dosage used, propranolol, unlike diazepam, does not affect the central mechanisms determining CNV magnitude or subjective anxiety. The relationship of this finding to the use of β-adrenergic receptor blockers in clinical anxiety states is discussed.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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