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Biomedical subjects

J L Berie

Publications and source records attributed to J L Berie.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Diazepam and learning: assessment of acquisition deficits.

Subjects treated with diazepam (0.3 mg/kg) showed significant reductions in performance on multiple-trial free recall, paired-associate learning, and serial learning tasks compared to placebo control subjects. The free recall task showed the largest drug effect with diazepam subjects failing in six acquisition trials to attain the level of performance achieved by placebo subjects on the first trial. Serial position curves in the serial learning task were changed by the diazepam treatment from their usual skewed form to symmetrical functions. Results indicate that diazepam exerts its greatest memory influence on the acquisition of new information.

Adolescent↗

Memory and performance effects of single and 3-week administration of diazepam.

The effects of diazepam of several cognitive and performance tasks were investigated in 30 healthy volunteers randomly assigned to three groups: A chronic group received diazepam for 21 days; an acute group received placebo during the same period, except at session 4 when they received diazepam; and a third group received placebo only at the sessions. Diazepam was given orally in a dose of about 0.2 mg/kg. Behavioral sessions were conducted before treatment (practice), after one administration (session 2), after 19 days (session 3), after 20 days (session 4), and 7 days following withdrawal (session 5). A single administration of diazepam produced significant memory impairment in both immediate and delayed free recall. Reduced memory performance was the result of impaired acquisition rather than reduced retention. Comparison of the chronic and acute groups in sessions 3 and 4 and analysis of the performance of the chronic group over sessions indicated the development of some tolerance to the memory impairment with continued administration. No residual memory effects were apparent following withdrawal. No other cognitive or psychomotor functions differed among the three treatment groups.

Diazepam↗