Human Drug Discrimination and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Caffeine Exposure
as an Experimental Model
Thomas Eissenberg and Roland R. Griffiths
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Abstract
Multiple chemical sensitivity is a controversial diagnosis. Rigorous, controlled, laboratory-based research can reduce this controversy and lead to potential clinical confirmatory tests. The literature on human caffeine discrimination provides a rigorous methodology that can address reports that patients who suffer multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) are sensitive to usually well-tolerated chemical doses; the studies require patients to discriminate caffeine from placebo under double-blind conditions. Several issues relevant to the conduct of caffeine discrimination studies using MCS patients as subjects are addressed; these issues include study design, determination of safe and tolerable training doses, and discrimination training. Such research will benefit patients and clinicians dealing with a diagnosis of MCS. -- Environ Health Perspect 105(Suppl 2):509-513 (1997)
Key words: caffeine, discrimination, multiple chemical sensitivity, methodology, design issues
This paper is based on a presentation at the Conference on Experimental Approaches to Chemical Sensitivity held 20-22 September 1995 in Princeton, New Jersey. Manuscript received at EHP 6 March 1996; manuscript accepted 6 August 1996.
This work was supported by R01 DA03890 and T32 DA07209.
Address correspondence to Dr. R.R. Griffiths, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, 5510 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224-6823. Telephone: (410) 550-0034. Fax: (410) 550-0030. E-mail: griffiths@bpru.uucp.jhu.edu
Abbreviations used: MCS, multiple chemical sensitivity; POMS, profile of mood states.
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Last Update: March 24, 1997