Drug-induced amnesia isamnesia caused by drugs. Amnesia may be therapeutic for medical treatment or for medical procedures, or it may be a side-effect of a drug, such asalcohol, or certain medications for psychiatric disorders, such asbenzodiazepines.[1] It is seen also with slow acting parenteral general anaesthetics.[citation needed]
Amnesia is desirable during surgery, sogeneral anaesthesia procedures are designed to induce it for the duration of the operation. Sedatives such as benzodiazepines, which are commonly used for anxiety disorders, can reduce the encoding of new memories, particularly in high doses (for example, prior to surgery in order for a person not to recall the surgery).[2] Amnestic drugs can be used to induce acoma for a child breathing using mechanical ventilation, or to help reduce intracranial pressure afterhead trauma.[3][failed verification]
Researchers are currently experimenting with drugs which induce amnesia in order to improve understanding of human memory, and develop better drugs to treat psychiatric disorders and memory-related disorders. People withAlzheimer's disease and other forms ofdementia are likely to benefit. By understanding the ways in which amnesia-inducing drugs interact with the brain, researchers hope to better understand the ways in whichneurotransmitters aid in the formation of memory. By stimulating rather than depressing these neurotransmitters, memory may improve.[1]
Holmes et al. (2010)[4] commented that the media misrepresented two recent studies as research on "erasing" traumatic memories, but showed the fear response associated with stressful memory could be greatly reduced whilst the factual memory of the trauma remained intact. Similarly, Brunet et al. (2008) found that the people with chronicposttraumatic stress disorder who were treated withpropranolol for a single day had a reduced response to existing trauma while retaining memory of the trauma.[5] In the process of remembering, the memory needs to be restored in the brain. By introducing an amnesia-inducing drug during this process, the memory can be disrupted. While the memory remains intact, the emotional reaction is damped, making the memory less overwhelming. Researchers believe this drug will help patients with post-traumatic stress disorder be able to better process the trauma without reliving the trauma emotionally.[citation needed] This has raised legal and ethical concerns should drugs be found to have altered the memory of traumatic events that occur in victims of crimes (e.g. murder attempt), and whether it is therapeutically desirable to do so.[4][6]
Amnesia can result from a side-effect of prescription or non-prescription drugs. Bothsubstance use and alcohol can cause both long-term and short-term memory loss, resulting inblackouts.
The most commonly used group of prescription drugs which can produce amnesia are benzodiazepines, especially if combined with alcohol, however, in limited quantities,triazolam (Halcion) is not associated with amnesia or memory impairment.[7]
In the 1970 science fiction TV seriesUFO, amnesia drugs were given to anyone who had contact with SHADO operatives, or witnessed their covert activities.
In the PC GameAmnesia: The Dark Descent (2010), the player character, Daniel, wakes up with amnesia in the terrifying Castle Brennenburg, and must discover the truth about his memories.
In the bookAllegiant (2013) a "memory serum" is used to wipe people's memories.
TheSCP Foundation has referenced amnesia-inducing drugs in many of its articles since its conception, under the name "amnestics", usually as a means of ensuring secrecy from the public.[9]
In the teen fiction novelThe Maze Runner, the teen characters wake up in a drug induced amnesia, which is one of the main factors that drive the plot.
The role-playing gameDisco Elysium (2019) opens with the player character awakening in a trashed hotel room with no memory of his identity after a self-destructivedrinking binge.
In the series 3 episode ofDoctor Who,Gridlock, drugs that induce amnesia are sold in patch form with the name "forget."
In the TV seriesBlindspot, the memory of the main character, Jane, was totally wiped using a drug called ZIP.[10][11]
In the 2018 Swedish filmThe Unthinkable, a chemical that induces memory loss, spread via rain, is used as a prelude to an invasion of Sweden.
Nepenthe, literally named anti-sorrow, is a substance mentioned in theOdyssey given toHelen of Troy, said to originate fromEgypt. Consumption causes sorrowful memories to be forgotten.[12][13]
^abCurran, H. Valerie (2000). "Psychopharmacological Perspectives on Memory". In E. Tulving; F. I. M. Craik (eds.).Oxford Handbook of Memory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 539–554.
^Baddeley, Alan (2002).The handbook of memory disorders. New York: J. Wiley. pp. 127–8.ISBN0470856300.
