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Sedation and memory: studies with a histamine H-1 receptor antagonist

Alison D. F. Handford

Anthony N. Nicholson

QinetiQ Centre for Human Sciences, Farnborough, UK

The influence of sedation on the effect of an H-1 receptor antagonist on various cognitive functions, including memory, were evaluated.

Diphenhydramine (50, 75 and 100mg) and lorazepam (0.5 and 1.5mg) were given on single occasions to 12 healthy volunteers (six males, six females) aged 20–33 (mean 23.4) years. Subjective assessments of sedation, sleep latencies, digit symbol substitution, choice reaction time, sustained attention and memory recall were studied 1.0h before and 0.5, 2.0 and 3.5h after drug ingestion. The study was double blind, placebo controlled and with a crossover design.

With all doses of diphenhydramine there was subjective sedation, reduced sleep latencies and impairments in performance on the digit symbol substitution, choice reaction time and sustained attention tasks. No effects were observed with 0.5mg lorazepam. With 1.5mg lorazepam there was subjective sedation, fewer digit symbol substitutions, slowed choice reaction time, impaired attention and memory, but no effect on sleep latencies. Contrast analysis of data measured at all time points showed that although there was no difference in the effect of diphenhydramine (100mg) and lorazepam (1.5mg) on those tasks without a memory component, response times were slower with lorazepam on those tasks with a memory component. However, both 100mg diphenhydramine and 1.5mg lorazepam impaired prompted recall measured at 2h post-ingestion only.

It is considered that impaired memory is not necessarily associated with sedation, and that impairment of memory with drugs that lead to sedation may be effected through neuronal systems independent of those that affect arousal.

Key Words: diphenhydramine • lorazepam • antihistamines • sedation • memory

This version was published on July 1, 2006

Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 20, No. 4, 506-517 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0269881106059804


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