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Midazolam amnesia and short-term/working memory processes
Julia Fisher1, Elliot Hirshman, Thomas Henthorn
1Department of Psychology, Boston College, USA.
Abstract:
We examined whether midazolam impairs short-term/working memory processes. We hypothesize that prior dissociations in midazolam's effects on short-term/working memory tasks and episodic memory tasks arise because midazolam has a larger effect on episodic memory processes than on short-term/working memory processes. To examine these issues, .03 mg/kg of participant's bodyweight of midazolam was administered in a double-blind placebo-controlled within-participant design. Performance on the digit span and category generation/recall tasks was examined. The results of Experiment 1 demonstrated that: (1) midazolam impaired performance on the digit span task; (2) midazolam did not impair performance on the category generation task; (3) midazolam impaired performance on the category recall task; and (4) midazolam's effect on category recall was four times as large as its effect on digit span. The results of Experiment 2 demonstrated that midazolam did not impair digit span performance when the digit span task was administered at a later time. These results suggest that midazolam can impair short-term/working memory processes, but these effects are substantially smaller than midazolam's effect on episodic memory processes. Moreover, they demonstrate that conscious awareness of materials during study is not sufficient to produce episodic memory.
Insights
Midazolam impairs short-term/working memory and episodic memory. However, its effects on episodic memory are significantly larger than on short-term/working memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Midazolam is a benzodiazepine known for its sedative and amnestic effects.
- Previous research suggests differential impacts of midazolam on various memory systems.
- The precise mechanisms by which midazolam affects short-term/working memory versus episodic memory require further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the specific effects of midazolam on short-term/working memory processes.
- To compare the magnitude of midazolam's impairment on short-term/working memory tasks versus episodic memory tasks.
- To test the hypothesis that midazolam has a greater impact on episodic memory than on short-term/working memory.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-participant design was employed.
- Midazolam was administered at a dose of 0.03 mg/kg bodyweight.
- Performance on the digit span task (short-term/working memory) and category generation/recall tasks (episodic memory) was assessed.
Main Results:
- Midazolam impaired performance on the digit span task.
- Midazolam did not impair performance on the category generation task but did impair category recall.
- Midazolam's effect on category recall was four times greater than its effect on digit span.
- Experiment 2 indicated that midazolam did not impair digit span performance when tested later.
Conclusions:
- Midazolam can impair short-term/working memory, but to a lesser extent than episodic memory.
- The findings support the hypothesis of differential effects of midazolam on memory systems.
- Conscious awareness during study is insufficient for the formation of episodic memories under midazolam.
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