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Anticholinergic effects on memory: benztropine versus amantadine
A J Gelenberg1, T Van Putten, P W Lavori
1Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
|June 1, 1989
Summary
Anticholinergic drugs like benztropine significantly impair memory storage and time perception in healthy adults. These cognitive effects, along with side effects, were more pronounced than with amantadine.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Anticholinergic medications are widely used but can cause cognitive side effects.
- Understanding the specific cognitive domains affected by anticholinergic drugs is crucial for patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of anticholinergic agents on cognitive functions and other physiological measures.
- To compare the effects of benztropine and amantadine, two antiparkinsonian drugs with differing anticholinergic properties.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, crossover trial involving 60 healthy volunteers.
- Administration of benztropine (4 mg/day) and amantadine (200 mg/day) with placebo controls.
- Assessment of cognitive functions including free recall, time perception, and self-reported memory, alongside salivary flow measurements.
Main Results:
- Benztropine, but not amantadine, significantly impaired free recall and time perception.
- Subjects reported greater memory impairment with benztropine.
- Benztropine caused more severe side effects, including dry mouth and blurred vision, and reduced salivary flow compared to amantadine.
Conclusions:
- Drugs that reduce cholinergic transmission impair the storage of new information into long-term memory.
- Anticholinergic agents have minimal impact on memory retrieval or immediate memory tasks.
- Clinically, anticholinergic drugs can significantly affect memory and time perception.