title: Neuropsychological changes during steady-state drug use, withdrawal and abstinence in primary benzodiazepine-dependent patients.
abstract: Impairment on neuropsychological tests during steady-state drug use and withdrawal, and after discontinuation of benzodiazepines, was studied in primary benzodiazepine-dependent patients. One group of patients was tested before and the other group after the initiation of a gradual tapering-off of the drug, and both groups were tested approximately 1 year later. At the initial assessment, both groups of patients showed impairment on most of the tests of general intelligence and on several of the tests in the Halstead-Reitan battery, as well as on a test of nonverbal memory, in comparison with healthy controls. At follow-up the patient groups had reached the level of the control group. This study confirmed earlier observations of neuropsychological deficits in long-term benzodiazepine-using patients and demonstrated that these changes are at least partly reversible by discontinuing drug intake.
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institute, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, St. Göran's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tönne
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hiltunen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vikander
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Engelbrektsson
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leifman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D001569:Benzodiazepines