title: Diazepam, behavior, and aging: increased sensitivity or lower baseline performance?
abstract: Cognitive performance, psychomotor skills, and subjective reactions to diazepam and placebo were compared in 12 healthy, well-educated subjects in three age groups: 19-28, 40-45, and 61-73 years old. With only minor exceptions, the changes in performance caused by diazepam and age differences were statistically additive and noninteracting. Diazepam did not act synergistically in older individuals; the decrements in performance were about the same in all age groups. Baseline performance decreased with increasing age; middle-aged subjects performed more like older than younger subjects. A variety of tasks exhibited similar effects of aging and diazepam, i.e., when performance declined with increasing age, it was also reduced by diazepam.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D003975:Diazepam