Long-Term Benzodiazepine (Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan) Use Destroys Neural Connections within the Brain

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Neuron With Extensions and Microglia Cells

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Neuron with extensions (blue) and microglia cells (purple) interacting with synapses. Credit: Y. Shi and M. Cui

Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use Attacks Synapses

LMU scientists have found the means by which the long-term taking of benzodiazepines results in cognitive impairments.

Benzodiazepines are efficient and extensively used medicine for treating states of hysteria and sleep issues. While short-term therapies are thought-about secure, their long-term consumption can result in bodily dependence and, significantly within the case of older individuals, to cognitive impairments. The mechanisms by which benzodiazepines set off these adjustments had beforehand been unknown. Researchers led by Prof. Jochen Herms and Dr. Mario Dorostkar from LMU’s Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) have now been in a position to reveal in an animal mannequin that the lively ingredient results in the lack of neural connections within the mind.

Common Benzodiazepines

  • Xanax (alprazolam)
  • Klonopin (clonazepam}
  • Ativan (lorazepam)
  • Valium (diazepam)
  • Librium (chlordiazepoxide)
  • Restoril (temazepam)

A key function is performed by immune cells of the mind generally known as microglia. Benzodiazepines bind to a selected protein, the translocator protein (TSPO), on the floor of cell organelles of the microglia. This binding prompts the microglia, which then degrade and recycle synapses — that’s, the connections between nerve cells. Experiments carried out by the scientists confirmed that the synapse loss in mice that had acquired a each day sleep-inducing dose of the benzodiazepine diazepam for a number of weeks led to cognitive impairments.

“It was known that microglia play an important role in eliminating synapses both during brain development and in neurodegenerative diseases,” mentioned Dr. Yuan Shi and Mochen Cui, co-authors of the research. “But what really surprised us was that such well-researched drugs as benzodiazepines influence this process.” When diazepam remedy was discontinued, the impact persevered for a while, however was finally reversible.

In the opinion of the researchers, the research might affect how sleep issues and nervousness are handled in individuals liable to dementia. “Drugs that are known to have no binding affinity to TSPO should be preferred where possible,” say the authors.

Reference: “Long-term diazepam treatment enhances microglial spine engulfment and impairs cognitive performance via the mitochondrial 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO)” by Yuan Shi, Mochen Cui, Katharina Ochs, Matthias Brendel, Felix L. Strübing, Nils Briel, Florian Eckenweber, Chengyu Zou, Richard B. Banati, Guo-Jun Liu, Ryan J. Middleton, Rainer Rupprecht, Uwe Rudolph, Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer, Gerhard Rammes, Jochen Herms and Mario M. Dorostkar, 28 February 2022, Nature Neuroscience.
DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01013-9