Differential effects of diazepam and lorazepam on repetition priming in healthy volunteers

• Published in: Psychopharmacology Vol. 108; no. 3; p. 371
• Main Authors: Sellal, F, Danion, J M, Kauffmann-Muller, F, Grangé, D, Imbs, J L, Van der Linden, M, Singer, L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 1992
• Subjects: Adult; Cognition - drug effects; Diazepam - pharmacology; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Hypnotics and Sedatives - pharmacology; Lorazepam - pharmacology; Male; Memory - drug effects
• ISSN: 0033-3158
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02245126

The effects of two benzodiazepines, diazepam (15 or 20 mg orally) and lorazepam (1.75 or 2.5 mg orally), and a placebo on explicit memory, lexical priming and perceptual priming were assessed using a free-recall, a word-completion and a picture-completion test. The picture-completion test included two different study conditions intended to manipulate the magnitude of the priming effect. Sixty healthy volunteers took part in this double-blind study. Free-recall performances were altered by both drugs. Lorazepam impaired word-completion and picture-completion performance, whereas diazepam only exhibited a deleterious effect on the more sensitive of the two measures of the picture-completion test. These results indicate that the two benzodiazepines have differential amnestic effects. It is suggested that these differential effects could be accounted for by a different cortical distribution of the two benzodiazepines.