An explorative approach to understanding individual differences in driving performance and neurocognition in long-term benzodiazepine users.

OBJECTIVE

Previous research reported cognitive and psychomotor impairments in long-term users of benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRAs). This article explores the role of acute intoxication and clinical complaints.

METHODS

Neurocognitive and on-road driving performance of 19 long-term (≥6 months) regular (≥twice weekly) BZRA users with estimated plasma concentrations, based on self-reported use, exceeding the therapeutic threshold (C +), and 31 long-term regular BZRA users below (C -), was compared to that of 76 controls.

RESULTS

BZRA users performed worse on tasks of response speed, processing speed, and sustained attention. Age, but not C or self-reported clinical complaints, was a significant covariate. Road-tracking performance was explained by C only. The C  + group exhibited increased mean standard deviation of lateral position comparable to that at blood-alcohol concentrations of 0.5 g/L.

CONCLUSIONS

Functional impairments in long-term BZRA users are not attributable to self-reported clinical complaints or estimated BZRA concentrations, except for road-tracking, which was impaired in CBZRA + users. Limitations to address are the lack of assessment of objective clinical complaints, acute task related stress, and actual BZRA plasma concentrations. In conclusion, the results confirm previous findings that demonstrate inferior performance across several psychomotor and neurocognitive domains in long-term BZRA users.