Memory and benzodiazepines: Animal and human studies with 1,4‐benzodiazepines and clobzam (1,5‐benzodiazepine)

Abstract

The amnesic effects of the 1,4 benzodiazepines make them useful as adjuncts to anesthesia. However, these effects are undesirable in the treatment of anxiety and epilepsy, especially in outpatients. The mode of action of the 1 ,Cbenzodiazepines on memory is not yet sufficiently identified. These compounds seem to affect the consolidation of information material; anterograde amnesic effects are common, while retrograde amnesia or impairment of short-term memory have been reported only exceptionally. The 1,5-benzodiazepine clobazam has shown minimal effects on memory in contrast to the 1,4-benzodiazepines at therapeutically equipotent doses. These results tally with the less pronounced sedative action of clobazarn compared to the 1 ,Cbenzodiazepines but do not seem to be connected by a causal relationship. The clinical relevance of these findings has to be clarified and the various factors modifying the effects of benzodiazepines on memory (e.g., benzodiazepine dose, type of memory task, individual encoding and decoding strategies, anxiety and neuroticism score) have yet to be characterized.

Psychopharmacology of ritanserin: Comparison with chlordiazepoxide

“…physical and psychological dependency, interaction with alcohol, and the development of apathy [Lader and Petursson. 1983;Fontaine et al, 1984;Koepper. 1984;Laux and Puryear.…”