Developing Memory Reconsolidation Blockers as Novel PTSD Treatments
Abstract
The aim of this project is to develop post-reactivation (PR) pharmacologic interventions that may serve as novel treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The underlying theory is that candidate drugs, when given following the reactivation of a conditioned fear response in animals, or a traumatic memory in humans, will reduce the strength of the conditioned response or traumatic memory. We plan to test such drugs, either alone or in combination, for their possible reconsolidation-blocking properties in a hierarchy of experiments. Drugs that show promise at a given stage of investigation will be advanced to the next stage. In Stage I, we will evaluate the ability of candidate drugs to reduce freezing in a Pavlovian cue-conditioned fear task in rats. In Stage II, we will evaluate the ability of candidate drugs to reverse fear conditioning-induced synaptic enhancement in rat amygdala slices using whole-cell electrophysiologic recording. In Stage III, we will test the ability of a single session of PR candidate drug to reduce subsequent psychophysiologic responding during script-driven imagery of the traumatic event in trauma-exposed human subjects. In Stage IV, we will test the ability of a series of PR candidate drug therapy sessions to reduce symptoms in PTSD patients.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA579114
Entities
People
- Alain Brunet
- Alina Suris
- Karim Nader
- Roger K. Pitman
- Vadim Y. Bolshakov
Organizations
- Massachusetts General Hospital