The effect of sleep deprivation on memory and psychomotor function in healthy volunteers

Benzodiazepines and other psychotropic drugs have been implicated in the production of memory deficits. The mechanism is unclear, but both a distinct pharmacological action and a non‐specific sedative effect have been suggested as being causal or contributory. These two postulated mechanisms of action may be examined separately by using sleep deprivation as a method of non‐pharmacological sedation. We measured psychomotor and memory functions in eight sleep‐deprived healthy volunteers and eight controls. There was both subjective and objective evidence of sedation, but memory function was not affected. These findings support the view that the effect on memory of psychotropic drugs is principally caused by a direct amnestic effect rather than by drug‐induced sedation. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.