title: Diazepam induces a dissociation between explicit and implicit memory.
abstract: The effects of 0.2 mg/kg orally administered diazepam and of a placebo on explicit memory, implicit and knowledge memory were assessed using a free recall task, a word-stem completion task and two category-generation tasks. Twenty four healthy volunteers took part in this double-blind study. Diazepam impaired explicit but not implicit memory. The drug also spared knowledge memory. Explicit memory was linked with the diazepam-induced sedation and with the self-rated affective load of to-be remembered words, but implicit memory was not. The diazepam-induced dissociation between explicit and implicit memory supports the notion of two distinct forms of memory and reproduced the dissociation observed in organic amnesia.
authors.affiliation: Clinique Psuchiatrique, Hospices Civils, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Danion
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Willard-Schroeder
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grangé
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Singer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D003975:Diazepam