Benzodiazepines are effective and widely used drugs for treating states of anxiety and sleep disorders. While short-term treatments are considered safe, their long-term intake can lead to physical dependence and, particularly in the case of older people, to cognitive impairments. The mechanisms by which benzodiazepines trigger these changes had previously been unknown. Researchers led by Jochen Herms and Mario Dorostkar from LMU’s Center for Neuropathology and Prion Research and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) have now been able to demonstrate in an animal model that the active ingredient leads to the loss of neural connections in the brain.