United States: According to new research, the overall usage of benzodiazepines is not likely to cause an enhanced risk of dementia. However, its long-term use is found to be associated with a reduction in the volume of critical brain parts.
The current finding supports the prevailing medical guidelines, which caution against prolonged benzodiazepine use.
More about Benzodiazepines
It is mostly prescribed for reducing anxiety and insomnia; there are three of commonly used forms benzodiazepines – diazepam, alprazolam, and lorazepam, which are known by their common names – Valium, Xanax, and, Ativan, respectively.
These produce effects that cause a relaxing, slowing down brain activity effect, as psypost.org reported.
These work to heighten the effect of a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which enhances relaxation and reduces brain activity, as psypost.org reported.
As benzodiazepines bring calming effects, it is being used as one of the widely prescribed psychotropic medications in developed countries.
However, from time to time, concerns about their long-term use have also been raised, especially for its use in adults, as it is associated with a potential cognitive decline or the risk of dependence or falls.
The motive behind the study
The study aims to clarify the effects by investigating the pros and cons of using benzodiazepines, with a special focus on its link with the risk of dementia and changes in brain structure over time.
According to the study author Ilse vom Hofe of the Erasmus University Medical Center, “Our interest in this topic was raised by the observation that benzodiazepines are the most commonly prescribed medications in developed countries, and 30-40% of older adults continues use beyond the recommended period of several weeks, while several recent studies indicated that benzodiazepines might have long-term adverse effects on cognition,” as psypost.org reported.
How was the study conducted?
The research analyzed the study data collected from the Rotterdam Study, a large project that started in 1990 to explore common diseases among older adults.
The research included 5,443 participants whose age belonged to the above 60 years group and were free from cognitive impairment at the start.
The follow-up of the participants took place for four years, and it involved cognitive tests and brain imaging scans. The info on benzodiazepine use was gathered from pharmacy records, hence helping scientists to have a tab on the duration and dosage of medication use.
To note the effect of benzodiazepines on dementia risk, the experts took the help of statistical models to compare the incidence of dementia among benzodiazepine users and non-users.
Additionally, several factors were taken into notice, which could have influenced dementia risks, like age, sex, education, and health conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
Results of the study
The study found no major association between benzodiazepine use and an increased risk of developing dementia. The result contrasted some earlier studies, which suggested the link posed a higher risk.
However, the scientists noted that the use of benzodiazepine is associated with a small reduction in the volume of the hippocampus and, to a lesser extent, the amygdala over time.
Such regions are also known to shrink along with aging. Hence, an accelerated shrinkage could be seen as a marker of neurodegeneration.
According to vom Hofe, “People should take away from our study that benzodiazepine use was not associated with increased dementia risk,” as psypost.org reported.
“However, benzodiazepine use was associated with a sub-clinical accelerated reduction in hippocampal and, to a lesser extent, amygdalar volume over time, underlining current guidelines cautioning against prolonged benzodiazepine use,” Hofe continued.