Effect of Zolpidem on the Quality of Overnight Sleep in Terms of Episodic Memory Formation
Zolpidem is a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic used for the short-term treatment of insomnia in adults. Previous studies have shown that this gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA-A) agonist stimulates the occurrence of sleep spindles during short daytime sleep, thereby enhancing episodic memory. A recently published study focused on the effect of zolpidem on memory after overnight sleep.
Methodology and Study Course
This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study within the same individual, verifying the hypothesis that zolpidem improves memory through the proliferation of sleep spindles. Memory was tested using the Paired Associates Learning (PAL) test. Additionally, the effect of zolpidem on sleep characteristics, such as slow oscillations (0–1 Hz), delta waves (1–4 Hz), theta waves (4–8 Hz), and spindle sigma sleep (12–15 Hz), along with the concurrent occurrence of slow oscillations and spindles (important for memory retention), was evaluated.
Findings
The results showed an improvement in memory after overnight sleep with zolpidem compared to placebo, consistent with the findings of previous studies with short daytime sleep. It was shown that zolpidem, compared to placebo, promotes spindle sigma sleep and shortens sleep times with delta and theta waves. Memory the day after awakening was influenced by the density of sleep spindles and the concurrent occurrence of slow oscillations and spindles.
Conclusion
This study demonstrated a beneficial effect of zolpidem on episodic memory after overnight sleep. The results align with the hypothesis that thalamocortical sleep spindles play an important role in the process of memory formation during the NREM phase of sleep.
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Source: Zhang J., Yetton B., Whitehurst L. N. et al. The effect of zolpidem on memory consolidation over a night of sleep. Sleep 2020 Apr 24; zsaa084, doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsaa084 [Epub ahead of print].
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