Drug-Induced Cognitive Impairment

Drug-induced cognitive impairment (DICI) is a well-established, yet under-recognised, complication of many types of pharmacological treatment. While there is a large body of scientific literature on DICI, most papers are about drug-induced dementia in the elderly and one specific drug class. However, DICI also comprises subclinical symptoms, domain-specific forms of cognitive impairment as well as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and delirium. Even mild forms of DICI, if not recognised as such, can have deleterious and life-long consequences. In addition, DICI also occurs in younger adults and in children, and has been reported with many different drug classes. The aim of this review is to raise awareness of DICI by providing an overview on the type(s) and symptoms of observed DICI and the suspected underlying mechanism(s) for various drug classes: antiseizure medications, antidepressants, antiparkinsonian drugs, antipsychotics, lithium, benzodiazepines/Z-drugs, opioids, first-generation antihistamines, drugs for urinary incontinence, proton pump inhibitors, glucocorticoids, NSAIDs, statins, antihypertensives, and chemotherapeutic agents.