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Detoxification Improves Multidomain Cognitive Dysfunction in High-Dose Benzodiazepine Abusers.

Angela Federico1, Fabio Lugoboni2, Elisa Mantovani1

  • 1Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.

Frontiers in Neuroscience
|August 28, 2020
PubMed
Summary

High-dose benzodiazepine abuse causes cognitive problems. Detoxification using flumazenil infusion improved memory, attention, and executive functions in patients.

Keywords:
benzodiazepinecognitiondetoxificationneuropsychologysubstance use disorderstreatment

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Addiction Medicine
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • High-dose benzodiazepine (BZD) abuse is linked to significant cognitive impairments across multiple domains.
  • These cognitive deficits can profoundly impact daily functioning and quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential for cognitive recovery following detoxification from high-dose BZD dependence.
  • To assess the efficacy of slow subcutaneous flumazenil infusion in reversing BZD-induced cognitive dysfunction.

Main Methods:

  • Fifty patients with high-dose BZD dependence underwent detoxification via slow subcutaneous flumazenil infusion.
  • A comprehensive neuropsychological battery assessed cognitive functions including memory, attention, and executive functions before (T0) and after (T1) detoxification.
  • Fifty healthy adults served as a control group for comparison.

Main Results:

  • Patients exhibited significant cognitive deficits across all tested domains compared to healthy controls at baseline (T0).
  • Depression and anxiety levels correlated with poorer verbal memory performance in patients prior to detoxification.
  • Following flumazenil-assisted detoxification, patients demonstrated significant improvements in all cognitive domains from T0 to T1.

Conclusions:

  • High-dose benzodiazepine abuse leads to widespread and severe cognitive dysfunction.
  • Slow subcutaneous flumazenil infusion-assisted detoxification is effective in reversing these cognitive abnormalities.