Psychopharmacology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Dose-dependent retrograde facilitation of verbal memory in healthy elderly after acute oral lorazepam administration.
Retrograde facilitation (RF) refers to a paradoxical phenomenon in which recall of information presented before acute administration of agents generally associated with anterograde amnestic and sedative effects, such as benzodiazepines, is enhanced relative to a placebo condition. However, it is unclear whether this effect occurs in elderly individuals and if it is influenced by plasma drug levels, baseline cognitive function, or genetic factors such as the APOE e-4 allele, that may modulate drug-induced cognitive toxicity. ⋯ In healthy elderly, acute oral lorazepam administration resulted in dose-dependent RF, which was associated with greater anterograde amnestic and sedative effects.
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Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity reflects serotonergic functioning associated with impulsive behaviour, but the significance of these associations to real-life impulsive behaviour in healthy subjects is not clear. ⋯ This study demonstrates different expressions of functional and dysfunctional impulsivity in behaviour. While platelet MAO activity is lower in alcohol-related risky behaviour, non-alcohol-related self-acknowledged risky behaviour is related to higher platelet MAO activity. Thus, deviance towards lower as well as higher end of central serotonergic functioning may lead to impulsive behaviour. While self-reported impulsivity did not correlate with MAO activity, both MAO activity and impulsivity were related to risky behaviour.