Putative dopamine agonist (KB220Z) attenuates lucid nightmares in PTSD patients: role of enhanced brain reward functional connectivity and homeostasis redeeming joy.
Thomas Mclaughlin, Kenneth Blum, Marlene Oscar-Berman, Marcelo Febo, Gozde Agan, James L Fratantonio, Thomas Simpatico, Mark S. Gold
Journal of Behavioral Addictions June 1, 2015 DOI: 10.1556/2006.4.2015.008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Double-blind Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2 |
| Population | Two women with PTSD and lucid nightmares; one also had depression and a history of suicide attempt and childhood sexual/physical abuse, the other was receiving methadone |
| Interventions | KB220Z Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) prazosin Adderall methadone |
| Duration | 6 months of prior treatment in the first patient; otherwise null |
| Topics | Dreaming PTSD |
| Keywords | Humans Catecholamines Neprilysin Monoamine oxidase Dopamine agonists Treatment outcome Happiness Dreams Reward Stress disorders, post-traumatic Sex offenses Domestic violence Adult Middle aged Female Parasomnia Functional brain connectivity Kb220z Lucid nightmares |
| Key findings | Adding KB220Z to treatment was followed by reports of happy dreams in two women with PTSD who had suffered terrifying lucid nightmares, including one whose nightmares had persisted through six months of DBT and standard medications. The authors attribute the changes to KB220Z's proposed effects on dopamine homeostasis and brain reward circuitry and call for large double-blinded studies. |
Abstract
Background: Lucid dreams are frequently pleasant and training techniques have been developed to teach dreamers to induce them. In addition, the induction of lucid dreams has also been used as a way to ameliorate nightmares. On the other hand, lucid dreams may be associated with psychiatric conditions, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Reward Deficiency Syndrome-associated diagnoses. In the latter conditions, lucid dreams can assume an unpleasant and frequently terrifying character. Case presentations: We present two cases of dramatic alleviation of terrifying lucid dreams in patients with PTSD. In the first case study, a 51-year-old, obese woman, diagnosed with PTSD and depression, had attempted suicide and experienced terrifying lucid nightmares linked to sexual/physical abuse from early childhood by family members including her alcoholic father. Her vivid "bad dreams" remained refractory in spite of 6 months of treatment with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and standard pharmaceutical agents which included prazosin, clonidie and Adderall. The second 39-year-old PTSD woman patient had also suffered from lucid nightmares.
Results: The medication visit notes reveal changes in the frequency, intensity and nature of these dreams after the complex putative dopamine agonist KB220Z was added to the first patient's regimen. The patient reported her first experience of an extended period of happy dreams. The second PTSD patient, who had suffered from lucid nightmares, was administered KB220Z to attenuate methadone withdrawal symptoms and incidentally reported dreams full of happiness and laughter.
Conclusions: These cases are discussed with reference to the known effects of KB220Z including enhanced dopamine homeostasis and functional connectivity of brain reward circuitry in rodents and humans. Their understanding awaits intensive investigation involving large-population, double-blinded studies.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combining Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD with 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA): A Case Example. One couple with PTSD and a severe trauma history, participating in a pilot trial... | 2019 | Case study | n = 2 |
| Effects of intranasal (S)-ketamine on Veterans with co-morbid treatment-resistant depression and PTSD: A retrospective case series Veterans with co-morbid depression and PTSD | 2022 | Retrospective case series | n = 35 |
| Repeated oral esketamine in patients with treatment resistant depression and comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder Patients with treatment-resistant depression and comorbid PTSD | 2023 | Case series | n = 5 |
| Treatment of nightmares in the context of posttraumatic stress disorder A client with chronic, severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) | 2010 | Case study | n = 1 |
| 5-MeO-DMT for post-traumatic stress disorder: a real-world longitudinal case study 23-year-old female with chronic refractory PTSD | 2023 | Case study | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? Frontiers in Psychology 2019
- Epigenetic Repair of Terrifying Lucid Dreams by Enhanced Brain Reward Functional Connectivity and Induction of Dopaminergic Homeostatic Signaling. Current Psychopharmacology February 15, 2021
- Lucid Dreams in Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Include Nightmares Dreaming June 1, 2021
- Structural and Functional Differences in Brain Mechanisms of Dream Recall Handbook of Sleep Research 2019
- Lucid Nightmares: A Survey of Their Frequency, Features, and Factors in Lucid Dreamers Dreaming September 1, 2018
and 3 more in the library