VERBAL MEMORY AFTER 3 MONTHS OF INTRANASAL VASOPRESSIN IN HEALTHY OLDHUMANS

In animals, evidence has been accumulated that vasopressin (VP) improv es learning and memory. In humans, this effect was not consistently de monstrated, and attempts to restore age-related memory deficits by VP also remained inconsistent. Assuming that in old subjects a beneficial effect on memory occurs only after prolonged treatment with VP, we co nducted a study in 26 healthy elderly persons receiving 40 IU of VP fo r three months through the intranasal route. The trial was randomized, placebo-controlled and held double-blind. Memory was assessed by the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) requiring the subject to learn re peatedly presented lists of 15 words. Results demonstrated no general effect of long term treatment with VP on memory in aged humans. Howeve r, recall of an interfering word list was improved, indicating a dimin ished proactive interference by the peptide. Additionally, VP influenc ed recall depending on the serial position of an item: it improved the primacy effect (i.e. recall of the first words of a list) and impaire d the recency effect, This result may indicate an improved semantic en coding (i.e. a primary effect on processes of attention) after long-te rm administration of VP. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.