Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

A Machine Learning Approach to Design an Efficient Selective Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: January 11, 2020
Agitation in the demented elderly: a role for benzodiazepines?
R J Ancill1, W W Carlyle, R A Liang
1Riverview Hospital, Port Coquitlam, B.C., Canada.
Abstract:
"Agitation" is a term that is used to describe a wide range of dysfunctional behaviours in geriatric populations. The term is so widely used that in many cases it loses clinical meaning and therefore a more restricted use of the term is suggested. When patients with agitation are identified it is important to look for underlying treatable pathology which is often present. Controversy surrounding the most appropriate medications is reviewed with particular reference to both neuroleptics and benzodiazepines. A randomized double-blind comparison of lorazepam and alprazolam in demented patients with agitation was carried out. While both drugs were efficacious for some patients, there were significantly more serious side-effects with lorazepam. It appears that there is a role for benzodiazepines such as alprazolam in the management of the agitated demented patient.
More Related Videos
06:23A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice
Published on: September 22, 2020
05:59High-Throughput Small Molecule Drug Screening For Age-Related Sleep Disorders Using Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: October 20, 2023
Related Concept Videos
CNS Depressants: Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines
Parkinson's Disease: Treatment
Parkinson's Disease is primarily a result of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The cornerstone of its...
Anxiolytic Drugs: Benzodiazepines and Buspirone
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines work by enhancing the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. They bind to the GABAA receptor, increasing its affinity for GABA, which opens chloride...
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age