The Cognitive Effects of Lorazepam in Healthy Older Individuals With TOMM40 Variable-length Polymorphisms

The Cognitive Effects of Lorazepam in Healthy Older Individuals With TOMM40 Variable-length Polymorphisms

The investigators' goal is to determine if certain tests of memory and attention, performed while sleepiness is induced by a single dose of lorazepam, can predict whether or not an individual is at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease.

Inclusion criteria:

• Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of 28-30
• Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score of less than 10
• participants in longitudinal study of aging and have a TOMM40 genotype of S/S, VL/VL, S/VL, L/S or L/VL.

Exclusion criteria:

• Alzheimer's Disease or Mild Cognitive Impairment
• any significant medical, psychiatric, and neurological illnesses, e.g., impaired liver or kidney function, prior stroke, traumatic brain injury, memory impairment, cognitive impairment, parkinsonism, a lifetime history of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, a psychoactive substance use disorder, or current major depression.
• known allergy to benzodiazepines
• current use (within the previous four weeks) of benzodiazepines or other medications known to interact with lorazepam, current use of sedating antihistamines, or current use of stimulant medications