Diverse therapeutic developments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) indicate common mechanisms of memory modulation.
Pharmacology & Therapeutics November 1, 2022 Sanket B Raut, Padmaja A Marathe, Liza Van Eijk et al. 62 citations
PTSD is a chronic condition marked by abnormally persistent and distressing memories, with current treatments limited to psychotherapy and two FDA-approved drugs that reduce depression and anxiety but do not produce permanent remission. Early evidence suggests psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, cannabinoids, ayahuasca, and ketamine, especially combined with psychotherapy, may help by increasing trust and enabling modification of trauma-related memories. Research into memory reconsolidation has identified pharmacological targets to disrupt fear memories. Pre-clinical and clinical studies have investigated novel agents such as neuropeptide Y, oxytocin, cannabinoids, and neuroactive steroids. While many drugs show promise in pilot trials, large-scale clinical trials are needed for clinical adoption.