Cognitive effects of long-term benzodiazepine use in older adults.
This study examined the potential for cognitive morbidity associated with the long-term use of benzodiazepine (BZ) sedative-hypnotics in a sample of healthy older adults. Tests of memory, attention and processing speed were conducted prior to and 1 month after drug discontinuation for 25 BZ-users and at similar intervals for 26 healthy control subjects. After controlling for differences in affective status between BZ-users and controls, there were no significant group differences in cognitive performance. However, BZ-users showed greater gains on tests of attention and speed of processing at repeat testing compared with controls this improvement was not attributable to a change in affective status. These findings suggest that there may be subtle and reversible effects of long-term BZ use on speed-dependent tasks in older adults. However, the magnitude of these effects is quite small and may be of little clinical significance in the healthy elderly.
Pat McAndrews
Mary
M
Department of Psychology, Toronto Western Hospital and University of Toronto, Canada. mcandrws@uhnres.utoronto.ca
Weiss
Rachel T
RT
Sandor
Paul
P
Taylor
Ann
A
Carlen
Peter L
PL
Shapiro
Colin M
CM
D000368:Aged; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines