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Effect of flunitrazepam on sleep and memory
Author(s) -
Misaki Kiwamu,
Nakagawa Hiroki,
Koshino Yoshifumi,
Kishi Hideo,
Ota Tadaaki,
Okuda Kyouko,
Kanda Izumi,
Isaki Kiminori,
Ito Tatuhiko
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1819.1998.00398.x
Subject(s) - flunitrazepam , polysomnography , sleep (system call) , audiology , psychology , anesthesia , memory impairment , triazolam , placebo , benzodiazepine , slow wave sleep , medicine , psychiatry , electroencephalography , cognition , receptor , alternative medicine , pathology , computer science , operating system
Flunitrazepam’s (FNZ) effect on sleep and memory 1 mg and 2 mg was investigated in 6 healthy volunteers (mean age 21.5 ± 0.8 years) by polysomnography (PSG) and memory testing. A PSG was recorded on each study night. Memory testing was done before sleep (40 min after taking FNZ or placebo), and after waking (560 min after medication). Rapid eye movement (REM) latency was found to be prolonged on the FNZ 2 mg night (FNZ2N) compared to the baseline night (BN). Percentage of stage 2 sleep was increased in the FNZ2N as compared to BN, while REM percentage on both FNZ nights did not significantly differ from BN. The number of total REM and REM density were decreased in the FNZ2N compared to BN. Memory testing showed significant differences between before sleep and after waking on the FNZ2N. There was a significant correlation between the degree of impairment on memory testing and the rate of reduced REM density, but there was no significant correlation between degree of impairment on memory testing and the rate of increased non‐REM sleep on the FNZ2N. The results of this study suggest that impairments in memory result from the dose of FNZ, and that there is a possibility of a relationship between memory disturbance and REM sleep suppression caused by this benzodiazepine.