Abstract
To assess the influence of neuroleptics on explicit memory and two forms of implicit memory, repetition priming and cognitive skill learning, the effects of two low doses of chlorpromazine (12.5 and 25 mg orally) were contrasted to those of lorazepam (2.5 mg orally) and of a placebo using a free-recall task, a word-completion task and repeated testing on the Tower of Toronto puzzle, a version of the Tower of Hanoi puzzle. Seventy-two healthy volunteers took part in this double-blind study. Chlorpromazine spared free-recall and word-completion performance, but impaired the acquisition of a cognitive routine in the subjects who completed the first trials of the Tower of Toronto puzzle efficiently. Lorazepam induced an opposite pattern of memory disruption. These preliminary results suggest that chlorpromazine and lorazepam induced a double dissociation between priming and the acquisition of a cognitive routine. They provide evidence that the two forms of implicit memory rely upon distinct neurochemical systems, the latter, but not the former, being dependent upon dopaminergic systems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baldessarini RJ (1980) Drugs and the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In: Goodman, Gilman's (eds) The pharmacological basis of therapeutics, ch. 19. Macmillan, New York, pp 391–418
Brown MW, Brown J, Bowes JB (1989) Absence of priming coupled with substantially preserved recognition in lorazepam induced amnesia. Q J Exp Psychol 41A [3]:599–617
Brozowski TJ, Brown RM, Rosvold HE, Goldman PS (1979) Cognitive deficit caused by regional depletion of dopamine in prefrontal cortex of rhesus monkey. Science 205:929–932
Cohen NJ, Squire LR (1980) Preserved learning and retention of pattern-analysing skill in amnesia: dissociation of knowing how and knowing that. Science 210:207–210
Cohen NJ, Eichenbaum H, Deacedo BS, Corkin S (1985) Different memory systems underlying acquisition of procedural and declarative knowledge. Ann NY Acad Sci 444:54–71
Danion JM, Zimmermann MA, Willard-Schroeder D, Grangé D, Singer L (1989) Diazepam induces a dissociation between explicit and implicit memory. Psychopharmacology 99:238–243
Danion JM, Zimmermann MA, Willard-Schroeder D, Grangé D, Welsch M, Imbs JL, Singer L (1990) Effects of scopolamine, trimipramine and diazepam on explicit memory and repetition priming in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology 102:422–424
Danion JM, Willard-Schroeder D, Zimmermann MA, Grangé D, Schlienger JL, Singer L (1991) Explicit memory and repetition priming in depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 48:707–711
Fang JC, Hinrichs JV, Ghoneim MM (1987) Diazepam and memory: evidence for spared memory function. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 28:347–352
Goldberg TE, Saint-Cyr JA, Weinberger DR (1990) Assessment of procedural learning and problem solving in schizophrenic patients by Tower of Hanoi type tasks. J Neuropsy Clin Neurosci 2:165–173
Graf P, Mandler G, Haden PE (1982) Simulating amnesic symptoms in normal subjects. Science 218:1243–1244
Graf P, Squire LR, Mandler G (1984) The information that amnesic patients do not forget. J Exp Psychol [Learn Mem Cogn] 10:164–178
Hastroudi S, Parker ES, Delisi LE, Wyatt RJ, Mutter SA (1984) Intact retention in acute alcohol amnesia. J Exp Psychol [Learn Mem Cogn] 10:156–163
Heindel WC, Butters N, Salmon DP (1988) Impaired learning of a motor skill in patients with Huntington's disease. Behav Neurosci 102:141–147
Heindel WC, Salmon DP, Shultz CW, Walicke PA, Butters NJ (1989) Neuropsychological evidence for multiple implicit memory systems: a comparison of Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's disease patients. Neuroscience 9:582–587
King DJ (1990) The effect of neuroleptics on cognitive and psychomotor function. Br J Psychiatry 157:799–811
Kornetsky C, Humphries O (1957) Relationship between effects of a number of centrally acting drugs and personality. AMA Arch Neurol Psy 77:325–327
Kornetsky C, Pettit M, Wynne R (1959) A comparison of the psychological effects of acute and chronic administration of chlorpromazine and secobarbital (quinalbarbitone) in schizophrenic patients. J Ment Sci 105:190–198
Kyriakopoulos AA, Greenblatt DJ, Shader RI (1978) Clinical pharmacokinetics of lorazepam: a review. J Clin Psychiatry 39:16–23
Lebart L, Morineau A, Warwick KM (1984) Multivariate descriptive statistical analysis. Wiley, New York, pp 109–145
Lister RG, File SE (1984) The nature of lorazepam-induced amnesia. Psychopharmacology 83:183–187
Martone M, Butters N, Payne M, Becker JT, Sax DS (1984) Dissociations between skill learning and verbal recognition in amnesia and dementia. Arch Neurol 41:965–970
Midha KK, Hawes EM, Hubbard JW, Korchinski ED, Mc Kay G (1989) Intersubject variation in the pharmacokinetics of chlorpromazine in healthy men. J Clin Psychopharmacol 1:4–8
Mishkin M, Malamut B, Bachevalier J (1984) Memories and habits: two neural systems. In: Lynch G, Mc Gaugh JL, Weinberger NM (eds) Neurobiology of learning and memory. Guilford, New York, pp 65–77
Richardson-Klavehn A, Bjork RA (1988) Measures of memory. Annu Rev Psychol 39:475–543
Rinne JO, Lônnberg P, Marjamäki P (1990) Age-dependent decline in human brain dopamine D1 and D2 receptors. Brain Res 508:349–352
Saint-Cyr JA, Taylor AE, Lang AE (1988) Procedural learning and neostriatal dysfunction in man. Brain 111:941–959
Schacter DL (1987) Implicit memory: history and current status. J Exp Psychol [Learn Mem Cogn] 13:501–518
Sellal F, Danion JM, Kauffmann-Müller F, Granǵe D, Imbs JL, Van der Linden M, Singer L (1992) Differential effects of diazepam and lorazepam on repetition priming in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology 108:371–379
Shallice T (1982) Specific impairments of planning. Philos Trans R Soc London Ser B 298:199–209
Shimamura AP, Salmon DP, Squire LR, Butters N (1987) Memory dysfunction and word priming in dementia and amnesia. Behav Neurosci 101:347–351
Simon H, Scatton B, Le Moal M (1980) Dopaminergic A10 neurones are involved in cognitive function. Nature 286:150–151
Squire LR (1986) Mechanisms of memory. Science 232:1612–1619
Squire LR, Cohen NJ (1984) Human memory and amnesia. In: Lynch G, Mc Gaugh JL, Weinberger NM (eds) Neurobiology of learning and memory. Guilford, New York, pp 3–63
Tulving E, Schacter DL (1990) Priming and human memory systems. Science 247:301–306
Warrington EK, Weiskrantz L (1970) Amnesic syndrome: consolidation or retrieval? Nature 228:628–630
Wechsler D (1955) Manual for the Wechsler adult intelligence scale. Psychological Corporation, New York
Weinberger DR (1987) Implications of normal brain development for the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry 44:660–669
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Danion, JM., Peretti, S., Grangé, D. et al. Effects of chlorpromazine and lorazepam on explicit memory, repetition priming and cognitive skill learning in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology 108, 345–351 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245122
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245122