Amnesia benzodiazepine-induced

Benzodiazepines have the capacity to produce a calming effect and to cause anterograde amnesia, in which the patient cannot recall events that took place for some time after the drug was administered. Benzodiazepine-induced sedation and amnesia are deemed useful in the preparation of patients for anesthesia, surgery, and other frightening or unpleasant medical and dental procedures and diagnostic tests. Midazolam is a frequently used anesthetic benzodiazepine (see Chapter 25). 

Ghoneim, M.M. The reversal of benzodiazepine-induced amnesia by flumazemh a re iew. Curr. Ther. Res. 52, 757-767, 1992. 

The most widely studied aspect of cognition with respect to benzodiazepines is memory.12 163 One of the most reliable effects of benzodiazepines is to impair recall of information presented after drug administration (anterograde amnesia). In contrast, information presented before administration of benzodiazepines is not affected. The memory decrement produced by benzodiazepines is a function of task difficulty, such that little or no impairment is observed for immediate recall of a few items, whereas more complex or delayed memory tests reveal profound impairment.12 The benzodiazepine antagonist flumazenil has been used to block the sedative effects of benzodiazepines, but the amnestic effect was not affected, suggesting that benzodiazepine-induced amnesia is independent of sedation.122,164 It has also been demonstrated that some benzodiazepines selec-... 

Hommer, D., Weingartner, H., and Breier, A., Dissociation of benzodiazepine-induced amnesia from sedation by flumazenil pretreatment, Psychopharmacology, 112, 455, 1993. 

Berzele, H.-J. (1992). Benzodiazepine induced amnesia after long-term medication and during withdrawal. Revue Europeenne de Psychologie Appliquee, 42, 277—282. 

In a placebo-controlled study of the effects of midazolam 0.5 mg/kg as a premedicant in 40 children aged 4-6 years having myringotomy, midazolam caused significant amnesia on a cued recall task (43). In addition, free recall for post-drug events was also impaired by midazolam, suggesting that benzodiazepine-induced amnesia occurs even for highly salient information. 

Gorissen, M. E., Eling, P. A. (1998). Dual task performance after diazepam intake Can resource depletion explain the benzodiazepine-induced amnesia Psychopharmacology, 138, 354—361. 

BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY Synergistic antimalarial activity of exifone and rufi-gallol. [1571] synergistic antimalarial activity of exifone and vitamin C [1571] pharmacology [1572] animal studies in memory improvement [1573] in antagonism of benzodiazepine-induced amnesia [1574] clinical evaluation in senile dementia [1575] in Parkinson s disease [1576]. 

A more recently recognized problem is that benzodiazepines may interfere with the storage of memories, a phenomenon called anterograde amnesia. Thus, when an individual is awakened by a phone call from sleep induced by benzodiazepines, he or she may fail to remember the phone conversation. The drug may be present in... 

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