Neuromodulatory effect of bromazepam on motor learning: an electroencephalographic approach.

To investigate the effects of bromazepam on motor performance and electroencephalographic activity (qEEG) in healthy subjects, during the process of learning a typewriting task, with a focused attention demand. A randomized double-blind model was used to allocate subjects in one of the following conditions: placebo (n=13), bromazepam 3mg (n=13) or bromazepam 6mg (n=13). Forty minutes after treatment administration, subjects were submitted to the motor task. EEG activity was recorded simultaneously. The analyzed variables were: number of errors and execution time, which were extracted from each block of the typewriting task, and mean relative power values in the beta band (13–35Hz), extracted from the qEEG. A significantly lower number of typing errors was observed in both bromazepam conditions (Br 3mg and Br 6mg) when compared to the placebo. There was no difference between the two bromazepam conditions. For the execution time variable, a better performance was observed in the Br 3mg condition, but with no statistical significance. The highest degree of cortical activation during the task was observed in Br 3mg and Br 6mg when compared to placebo. The medication's anxiolytic effect intensifies the attentional focus over predictable events occurring in reduced perceptual fields. The qEEG's accentuated response in pre-motor and primary motor areas suggests a greater effort directed to the most relevant aspects of the task. In short, the doses employed (3 and 6mg) seem to enhance the learning of motor tasks that involve focused attention, such as typewriting.