Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the included studies.
| Author and year of publication | Study design | Patients | Intervention | Control | Outcomes analyzed | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uemura et al., 201513 | Randomized controlled trial (RCT)/crossover | n=13 (2M and 11F) between 60 and 70 years, healthy, time to bed between 20 and 24 h. | Zolpidem (5 mg), Triazolam (0.125 mg), Rilmazafone (1 mg) — administered at bedtime — with 6 days of washout between treatments | Placebo — administered at bedtime — with 6 days of washout between treatments | CFF, SDR, SMT, body sway test, TUG and FRT | Outcomes analysis on the day after exposure, 6 days of washout — 4 periods |
| Boyle et al., 200914 | RCT/crossover | n=24 (7M and 17F), between 65 and 75 years, healthy, time to bed between 20 and 24 h. | Gaboxadol — 10 mg (n=24) and Zolpidem — 5 mg (n=23) — administered at bedtime — with 3 days of washout between treatments | Placebo (n=23) — administered at bedtime — with 3 days of washout between treatments | CFF, body sway test, and adverse events | Outcome analysis up to 12 h post exposure; 3 days of washout between treatment — 3 periods |
| Zammit et al., 200815 | RCT/crossover | n=11 (3M and 8F), between 65 and 81 years, healthy. | Zolpidem (10 mg) — n=11 | Placebo — n=10 | SOT and adverse events | Each treatment lasted 2 days, with a washout period of 2 days. |
| Hindmarch et al., 200616 | RCT/crossover | n=24 (10M and 14F), between 65 and 78 years | Zolpidem (6.25 mg) — n=23, Zolpidem (12.5 mg) — n=24 and Flurazepam (30 mg) — n=23 | Placebo — n=23 | CFF, CRT, CTT, DSST, memory recall, and adverse events | Each treatment lasted 2 days, with a washout period of 28–42 days. After 7–14 days post exposure, there was a medical evaluation. |
| Bentué-Ferrer et al., 200317 | RCT/crossover | n=49 (21M and 28F), between 64 and 78 years, healthy | Zolpidem (5 mg), Zopiclone (3.75 mg) and Lormetazepam (1 mg) | Placebo | CTT, LMT, Sternberg MRT, SRT, body sway test, and adverse events | Each treatment lasted 12 h, with a washout period of 8 days. |
| Fairweather et al., 199218 | RCT/crossover | n=24 (6M and 18F), between 63 and 80 years, healthy | Zolpidem (5 mg) and Zolpidem (10 mg) | Placebo | CTT, CRT, Sternberg MRT, and WRT | Each treatment lasted 7 days (3 treatments in total), with a washout period of 7 days. They were analyzed after the first day and the last. |
TUG: The timed up and go; FRT: functional reach test; SDR: simple discrimination reaction; STM: short-term memory; CFF: critical flicker fusion; SOT: sensory organization test; CRT: choice reaction time; CTT: continuous tracking test; DSST: digit symbol substitution test; MRT: mean reaction time; LMT: learning memory task; SRT: simple reaction time; WRT: word recognition task; mg: milligram; M: male; F: female.