Information processing, critical flicker fusion threshold and benzodiazepines: results and speculations.

There is evidence to suggest that the rate of information processing, as measured by the critical flicker fusion threshold (CFFT), is slower following some benzodiazepines than others. Changes in CFFT brought about by benzodiazepine administration are usually, but not always, correlated with changes in other measures of cognitive performance and memory. However, the drug-induced changes in information processing and memory cannot be fully explained by simple postulates regarding alterations in the overall level of CNS arousal. Results from a series of studies of the effect of benzodiazepines on measures of CFFT and memory will be reviewed and the utility of CFFT in evaluating the amnesic or mnemonic potential of CNS-active drugs will be assessed.