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Neuropsychological changes during steady‐state drug use, withdrawal and abstinence in primary benzodiazepine‐dependent patients
Author(s) -
Tönne U.,
Hiltunen A. J.,
Vikander B.,
Engelbrektsson K.,
Bergman H.,
Bergman I.,
Leifman H.,
Borg S.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1995.tb09786.x
Subject(s) - benzodiazepine , discontinuation , abstinence , neuropsychology , psychology , neuropsychological test , psychiatry , medicine , anesthesia , cognition , receptor
Impairment on neuropsychological tests during steady‐state drug use and withdrawal, and after discontinuation of benzodiazepines, was studied in primary benzodiazepine‐dependent patients. One group of patients was tested before and the other group after the initiation of a gradual tapering‐off of the drug, and both groups were tested approximately 1 year later. At the initial assessment, both groups of patients showed impairment on most of the tests of general intelligence and on several of the tests in the Halstead‐Reitan battery, as well as on a test of nonverbal memory, in comparison with healthy controls. At follow‐up the patient groups had reached the level of the control group. This study confirmed earlier observations of neuropsychological deficits in long‐term benzodiazepine‐using patients and demonstrated that these changes are at least partly reversible by discontinuing drug intake.