Midazolam is a benzodiazepine commonly used as an anxiolytic in surgery. A useful attribute of this drug is that it creates temporary, reversible, anterograde amnesia. Studies involving healthy subjects given midazolam in one session and saline in another, in a double-blind, cross-over design, provide insights into memory function. Several experiments will be described to illustrate the potential of studying subjects with transient anterograde amnesia. This talk will also outline how this drug can be used in combination with fMRI to provide more insights about brain functioning than either method in isolation.