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Hindi Research Article
The Effects of the Benzodiazepine, Temazepam, on Neurocognitive Functioning and Sleep Patterns in Methamphetamine-Dependent Participants
James J. Mahoney III1,2*, Brian J. Jackson1,2, Ari D. Kalechstein1,2, Richard De La Garza II1,2, Ravi Shah1,2, Chandra S. Nerumalla1,2 and Thomas F. Newton1,21Baylor College of Medicine, Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Houston, Texas, USA
2Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA
- *Corresponding Author:
- James J. Mahoney
Baylor College of Medicine
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA
E-mail: james.mahoney@bcm.edu
Received November 13, 2011; Accepted January 06, 2012; Published January 12, 2012
Citation: Mahoney III JJ, Jackson BJ, Kalechstein AD, Garza II RDL, Shah R, et al. (2012) The Effects of the Benzodiazepine, Temazepam, on Neurocognitive Functioning and Sleep Patterns in Methamphetamine-Dependent Participants. J Addict Res Ther S1:007. doi:10.4172/2155-6105.S1-007
Copyright: © 2012 Mahoney III JJ, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Objectives: Previous research has shown that methamphetamine users demonstrate poorer sleep quality and daytime sleepiness when compared to healthy controls. It is also well known that long-term methamphetamine use is associated with impaired neurocognitive function and, similarly, sleep deprivation is associated with decreased neurocognitive performance. Temazepam is a potent sedative and is effective for the treatment of insomnia. It was hypothesized that treatment of methamphetamine dependent volunteers with temazepam would improve sleep characteristics resulting in improved cognitive functioning.
Methods: 18 subjects completed a seven-day inpatient study where they completed daily subjective assessments, such as the PSQI, ESS, and VAS. Temazepam or placebo was administered on the evenings of Nights 5 and 6. Sleepiness was objectively assessed using the MSLT on Days 5-7 and neurocognitive testing was performed on Day 5 (prior to drug administration) and on Day 7.
Results: The findings of this study demonstrate that temazepam did not improve quality of sleep, did not decrease sleep onset latency, and did not improve in neurocognition in methamphetamine-dependent participants.
Discussion: Since the chosen dose and duration of temazepam did not improve neurocognitive performance when compared to placebo, further research must be performed to better understand temazepam’s effects and potential utility in this population.
