How midazolam can help us understand human memory: Three illustrations

In the study of the complex cognitive process of human memory, an investigation of specific memory deficits can help elucidate the functioning of normal memory. One such way to implement controlled memory deficits is with the use of the drug midazolam. Midazolam is an anxiolytic drug that creates temporary and reversible anterograde amnesia. The drug operates by facilitating the negative neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), resulting in the blocking of neural long-term potentiation. Midazolam specifically targets the GABAA receptors that are prominent in the hippocampus, a neuroanatomical region with a primary role in explicit memory function (Park, Quinlan, Thornton, & Reder, 2004).