Study,Jul/20:Detoxific'n Improves Cognitive Dysfunction--High Dose Benzo Abusers

The full title of this Italian/English study is "Detoxification Improves Multidomain Cognitive Dysfunction in High-Dose Benzodiazepine Abusers".

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32848544/

Abstract

Purpose: High-dose benzodiazepines (BZDs) abuse has been documented to cause multidomain cognitive dysfunction. We explored whether cognitive abnormalities to high-dose BZD abuse might be reversed by detoxification with slow subcutaneous infusion of flumazenil.

Methods: We recruited 96 patients consecutively admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine, Addiction Medicine Unit, Verona University Hospital, Italy for detoxification from high-dose BZD dependence. After selection for inclusion and exclusion criteria, 50 patients (23 men, 27 women; age 42.7 ± 10.3 years) were included. They underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery to explore verbal memory, visuospatial memory, working memory, attention, and executive functions 28-30 days prior to admission for detoxification (T0) and at the end of detoxification, i.e., 7 days after admission (T1). A group of 50 healthy adults (24 men, 26 women; mean age 44.5 ± 12.8 years) matched for age, sex, and education served as controls.

Results: At T0, patients scored significantly worse than healthy controls in all the neuropsychological tests. Depression and anxiety scores were associated with impaired verbal memory at T0 in patients. T1-T0 comparison showed improved performances in all neuropsychological tests after the end of detoxification in patients.

Conclusion: We confirmed that all neuropsychological domains were significantly and profoundly impaired by high-dose BZD abuse and documented that cognitive abnormalities improved after detoxification with slow subcutaneous infusion of flumazenil.

Full Study:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7396668/pdf/fnins-14-00747.pdf 

INTRODUCTION

Benzodiazepines  (BZDs)  and  related  Z-drugs  (Zs)  are  gamma-amino-butyric  acid  type  A(GABA-A)  positive  allosteric  modulators,  which  are  prescribed  for  anxiety  and  insomnia  and represent one of the most widely used groups of pharmaceuticals worldwide (Soyka, 2017). Among patients on BZDs or Zs, 6–76% become long-term users, 15–44% experience moderate-to-severe withdrawal  symptoms  and  3–4%  show  misuse  or  dependence(Faccini et al., 2016)....

(See link for full article.)