Maryam Azarfarin
1 
, Masoomeh Dadkhah
2* , Sara Salatin
3* 1 Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
2 Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
3 Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are a class of prescription medications widely used for their anxiolytic, hypnotic, and muscle relaxant properties. Prolonged use of BZDs has been shown to increase the risk of abuse, dependence, and relapse in patients. Elderly people are particularly more vulnerable to the effects of BZDs due to altered pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, along with drug interactions resulting from polypharmacy. These processes initiated by BZDs may trigger the onset of cognitive pathologies such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The present study focused on the relationship between BZD use and its contribution to neuroinflammation in AD. Moreover, it summarized some studies evaluating the effect of BZDs in the AD population.