The effects of flurazepam, lorazepam, and triazolam on sleep and memory

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of flurazepam 30 mg, lorazepam 4 mg, triazolam 0.5 mg, and placebo upon sleep and memory in eleven normal male subjects continuously monitored for nighttime EEG, EOG, and EMG recording. Subjects received each drug or placebo for two consecutive nights per week for 4 weeks in a repeated measures, double-blind, Latin Square design. Three hours post-administration, subjects were awakened and presented with a series of tasks. Recall was assessed immediately following task presentation and after the final morning awakening. The results showed that every drug significantly decreased stage 1, increased stage 2, and produced no change in stage 3--4 sleep in comparison to placebo. Only lorazepam significantly decreased REM percent. Post-drug recall was significantly decreased in comparison to placebo at night and was further decreased in the morning. Morning recall was significantly poorer when the return to sleep was 2.5 min or less than when the return to sleep was greater than 5 min following the nighttime awakening in all drug conditions. These results indicate that 1. failure of memory consolidation rather than failure of retrieval is the most likely explanation for the morning memory loss and 2. hypnotic drug properties, measured by latency to fall back asleep, affect memory consolidation.

Effects of triazolam (0.5 mg) on sleep, performance, memory, and arousal threshold

“…22 , 36 The memory impairment associated with hypnotic use could be the result of several underlying mechanisms: a lowered arousal level during stimulus presentation, disruption of memory consolidation, or interference with retrieval mechanisms. Roth et al 22 have recently presented data supporting the hypothesis that the mechanism of memory loss is an impairment of consolidation caused by a more rapid return to sleep following stimulus presentation on the drug nights. In our procedures, the Williams Word Memory Task was the last task presented during nighttime test sessions.…”

Effects of triazolam (0.5 mg) on sleep, performance, memory, and arousal threshold.

“…Roth et al 22 have recently presented data supporting the hypothesis that the mechanism of memory loss is an impairment of consolidation caused by a more rapid return to sleep following stimulus presentation on the drug nights. In our procedures, the Williams Word Memory Task was the last task presented during nighttime test sessions.…”

Comparison of Short- and Long-Acting Benzodiazepine-Receptor Agonists With Different Receptor Selectivity on Motor Coordination and Muscle Relaxation Following Thiopental-Induced Anesthesia in Mice

“…Previous studies of benzodiazepine regimens, which may be associated with a risk of adverse events, have produced conflicting results. Early investigations of benzodiazepines with different elimination half-lives have suggested that longacting benzodiazepines are more likely to cause adverse events than short-acting agents (7,8). However, other studies have found significantly greater risks of adverse effects with the use of short-acting agents (1,9).…”