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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder01:28

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Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
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D-cycloserine augmented exposure therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Matt G Kushner1, Suck Won Kim, Christopher Donahue

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454, USA. kushn001@umn.edu

Biological Psychiatry
|June 26, 2007
PubMed
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D-cycloserine (DCS) can improve exposure therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by reducing distress and dropout rates. This glutamatergic partial N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) agonist shows promise in enhancing treatment efficiency.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • D-cycloserine (DCS) is a glutamatergic partial N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) agonist.
  • DCS facilitates extinction learning in animal and human models of cued fear.
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by persistent obsessions and distress.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if DCS accelerates reduction in obsession-related distress for OCD patients.
  • To evaluate DCS as an adjunct to extinction-based exposure therapy for OCD.

Main Methods:

  • A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted.
  • Patients with OCD received either 125 mg of DCS or a placebo.
  • DCS/placebo was administered approximately 2 hours before each exposure therapy session.

Main Results:

  • DCS reduced the number of exposure sessions needed for clinical milestones.
  • The rate of therapy dropout was lower in the DCS group.
  • After four sessions, DCS significantly decreased obsession-related distress compared to placebo, though the effect diminished with more sessions.

Conclusions:

  • D-cycloserine augmentation can enhance the efficiency of exposure therapy for OCD.
  • DCS may improve the palatability and overall effectiveness of OCD treatment.
  • Further research into DCS for OCD is warranted.