Preliminary Investigations of the Effects of Sernyl upon Cognitive and Sensory Processes

Abstract

In a previous paper, Davies and Beech (4) presented data obtained from both clinical observations and psychological tests on normal subjects under the influence of Sernyl. In that paper an account was given of the chemical constitution and action of the drug. It is not necessary to say more here than that this compound is a synthetic cyclohexylamine derivative that was introduced into anaesthetic practice because of its ability to produce analgesia without loss of consciousness. It appears to act mainly at the thalamic level and produces changes in the reception of sensory stimuli. Post-operatively, however, psychiatric disturbances were common and the use of the drug in anaesthetic practice was curtailed. Our interest in Sernyl has centred upon its psychotomimetic effects and its possible mode of action. It has, in fact, been suggested that normal individuals under the influence of Sernyl behave, in some respects, like schizophrenic patients and that this similarity is most striking in the case of thinking processes. In the further investigation of the effects of this drug it was therefore decided to test the hypothesis that Sernyl produces mental disturbances which are characteristic of thought-disordered schizophrenics.