Midazolam, hippocampal function, and transitive inference: Reply to Greene
2008
Midazolam and Memory: A Response to Greene
Commentary
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Frank Michael J, O'Reilly Randall C, Curran Tim
Primary Institution: University of Arizona
Hypothesis
Midazolam disrupts hippocampal function, enhancing implicit transitive inference performance.
Conclusion
The study argues that midazolam enhances implicit memory performance despite impairing explicit memory recall.
Supporting Evidence
- Midazolam was shown to impair explicit memory recall while enhancing implicit transitive inference performance.
- Previous studies indicate that the hippocampus can be impaired by midazolam without affecting the striatal dopamine system.
- Mathematical models support the idea that reinforcement learning does not depend critically on the hippocampus.
Takeaway
This study suggests that a drug called midazolam can help people make connections between things they learned, even if it makes it harder for them to remember things explicitly.
Limitations
The commentary does not provide new experimental data to support the claims.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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