Enhancing Fear Extinction: Pharmacological Approaches
Olga Y. Ponomareva, Robert J. Fenster, Kerry J. Ressler
Fear Extinction 2023 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_443 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | D-cycloserine scopolamine losartan ketamine |
| Topics | Ketamine MDMA |
| Keywords | Allopregnanolone Angiotensin Bdnf Cannabinoid Cortisol Cycloserine Extinction Fear Learning Losartan Medication Mifepristone Pharmacology Plasticity Scopolamine |
| Key findings | Pharmacological modulators of extinction, including D-cycloserine, scopolamine, losartan, ketamine, and MDMA, are promising targets for treating fear-related disorders. |
Abstract
Extinction is the process by which the memory of a learned conditioned association decreases over time and with introduction of new associations. It is a vital part of fear learning, and it is critical to recovery in multiple fear-related disorders, including Specific and Social Phobias, Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The process of extinction is also the underlying mechanism for recovery in gold-standard therapies for PTSD, including prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, eye movement desensitization and procession, as well as other empirically-based paradigms. Pharmacological modulators of extinction are thus promising targets for treatment of fear-related disorders. We focus here on emerging psychopharmacological treatments to facilitate extinction: D-cycloserine, scopolamine, losartan, ketamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. We also provide an overview of recent advances in molecular pathways that show promise as targets for extincion and inhibitory learning, including pathways related to cannabinoid, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal signaling, and promising work in neurosteroid compounds.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Pharmacology of MDMA | 2004 | Review | |
| Human psychopharmacology of Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of 15 years of empirical research | 2001 | Review | |
| 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”): pharmacology and toxicology in animals and humans | 1994 | Review | |
| (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity: Studies in Animals | 2000 | Review | |
| Amphetamine toxicities | 2010 | Review |
Citations in the library
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and 12 more in the library