Memory performance in individuals with primary degenerative dementia: its similarity to diazepam-induced impairments.

Impairments of memory storage and retrieval produced by diazepam (2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg) in normal elderly individuals were compared to those observed in patients with primary degenerative dementia tested under nondrug conditions. The highest diazepam dose affected retrieval as well as storage processes in Buschke's "selective reminding" task, producing impairments qualitatively similar to those shown by demented patients. All diazepam doses impaired Buschke task performance in the normal elderly individuals; normal young subjects, in contrast, showed no impairment with a low (2.5 mg) diazepam dose.