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L-DOPA improves extinction memory retrieval after successful fear extinction.
A M V Gerlicher1,2,3, O Tüscher4,5, R Kalisch6,4
1Neuroimaging Center (NIC), Focus Program Translational Neuroscience (FTN), Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany. a.m.v.gerlicher@uva.nl.
Psychopharmacology
|June 28, 2019
Summary
L-DOPA enhances fear extinction memory consolidation, but only when fear is successfully reduced during exposure therapy. This suggests a crucial boundary condition for pharmacological aids in treating anxiety disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychopharmacology
- Anxiety Disorders
Background:
- Exposure therapy is key for anxiety disorders, but fear can return.
- Pharmacological agents may enhance memory consolidation after exposure.
- L-DOPA, a dopamine precursor, is investigated for its potential to improve extinction memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if L-DOPA's enhancement of extinction memory consolidation is contingent on successful fear reduction during exposure.
- To investigate the role of fear extinction success in L-DOPA's therapeutic effects.
Main Methods:
- Two double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled experiments with healthy male adults.
- Fear conditioning, extinction (short/long sessions), L-DOPA/placebo administration, and memory testing.
- Conditioned responses measured via differential skin conductance responses.
Main Results:
- L-DOPA's effect on conditioned responses was dependent on fear reduction levels at the end of extinction.
- L-DOPA reduced conditioned responses at test only in participants who achieved complete fear reduction post-extinction.
Conclusions:
- L-DOPA shows potential as an adjunct to exposure therapy for anxiety disorders.
- Successful fear reduction during exposure is a critical prerequisite for pharmacological consolidation enhancers like L-DOPA.
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