| Abstract: | The present study investigated the effect of haloperidol-induced mood in normal healthy male volunteers on the retrieval of memories of real-life personal experiences using a between-subjects double-blind design. Forty subjects were required to retrieve past real life experiences associated with a series of stimulus words following administration of a single oral dose of 5mg haloperidol or placebo. The experiences were subsequently rated by subjects for their happiness felt at the time of the original experience. A significant decline in self-reported hedonic tone was observed in subjects given haloperidol. In addition, subjects on placebo recalled a significantly greater percentage of happy memories than subjects who were on haloperidol; a trend for a reverse pattern was observed for unhappy memories. The effects of the drug on the retrieval of memories were only in part mediated by the decline in hedonic tone scores. The effects of haloperidol are interpreted in terms of drug-induced dysphoria. |
