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.