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Dissociation between perceptual processing and priming in long-term lorazepam users.

Anne Giersch1, Pierre Vidailhet

  • 1INSERM U666, Department of Psychiatry, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. giersch@alsace.u-strasbg.fr

The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
|December 3, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Long-term lorazepam use preserves explicit memory and perceptual priming, unlike acute effects. However, low-level visual contour processing remains impaired in chronic users.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Acute lorazepam administration is known to impair visual information processing, perceptual priming, and explicit memory.
  • Long-term effects of lorazepam on these cognitive functions, particularly visual processing and perceptual priming, are less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term effects of lorazepam on visual perception, perceptual priming, and explicit memory.
  • To test the hypothesis that visual processing deficits may underlie impaired perceptual priming in lorazepam users.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study involving 15 long-term lorazepam users and 15 matched controls.
  • Utilized a double-blind procedure to assess explicit memory, perceptual priming, and visual perception (including fragmented picture identification and visual contour processing).

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Main Results:

  • Explicit memory and perceptual priming were preserved in long-term lorazepam users, contrasting with acute effects.
  • Visual contour processing was significantly impaired in long-term users.
  • The ability to identify fragmented pictures did not influence perceptual priming.

Conclusions:

  • Long-term lorazepam use does not necessarily lead to the same deficits in explicit memory and perceptual priming observed with acute administration.
  • Impairments in low-level visual perception, such as contour processing, appear independent of lorazepam's acute effects on perceptual priming.
  • Memory preservation in long-term users, even at low doses, warrants further investigation.