Effects of Low Concentrations of Nitrous Oxide

Effects of Low Concentrations of Nitrous Oxide on Cognitive Functions and Reaction Time

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT04050267

Enrollment

Registered

2019-08-08

Start date

2019-04-25

Completion date

2019-04-29

Last updated

2019-08-09

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Nitrous Oxide Poisoning

Keywords

nitrous oxide, tracing gas, breathing experiments, cognitive tests

Brief summary

The aim of the study is to test the effects of low concentrations of nitrous oxide on cognitive functions and reaction time in human.

Detailed description

Nitrous oxide is a widely used gas in medicine, in standard concentrations above 50%. Its favourable physical properties and easy detectability by anaesthetic gas analysors predispose nitrous oxide to become a possible tracing gas for leak detection in experiments in which modified breathing system are in use. In these breathing experiments, the inspired concentrations of nitrous oxide would be well below the anaesthetic/analgesic concentrations. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of these low concentrations of nitrous oxide (5, 7, 10, 12, 15, 20 %), compared to placebo (air, 0% nitrous oxide). The cognitive functions are tested using Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Reaction Time and Visual Analogue Scale.

Interventions

DRUGNitrous Oxide

Breathing nitrous oxide, concentrations 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, 20 % in air with 21 % oxygen, in random order.

OTHERPlacebo - air

Breathing air with 21 % oxygen, no nitrous oxide.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Intervention model description

All participants go through all study arms, in random order.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 30 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* healthy volunteers from the Czech Technical University

Exclusion criteria

* pregnancy * allergy to nitrous oxide * severe asthma or other severe respiratory conditions * severe cardiovascular conditions

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Cognitive test results	Through study completion, an average of 1 year	The results of cognitive test performed during inhalation of defined concentration of nitrous oxide. Cognitive tests: Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST).
Reaction Time	Through study completion, an average of 1 year	The results of reaction time test performed during inhalation of defined concentration of nitrous oxide. Reaction Time (in seconds) using a computer-based test.

Countries

Czechia

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026