4,043
Views
41
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Review Articles

Pharmacological enhancement of exposure-based treatment in PTSD: a qualitative review

, &
Article: 21626 | Received 05 Jun 2013, Accepted 11 Sep 2013, Published online: 17 Oct 2013

References

  • Aerni A, Traber R, Hock C, Roozendaal B, Schelling G, Papassotiropoulos A, etal. Low-dose cortisol for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2004; 161(8): 1488–1490.
  • American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 2013; 5th ed, Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
  • Arntz A, Tiesema M, Kindt M. Treatment of PTSD: A comparison of imaginal exposure with and without imagery rescripting. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 2007; 38(4): 345–370.
  • Bisson J, Andrew M. Psychological treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007; 3: CD003388.
  • Bontempo A, Panza K. E, Bloch M. H. d-cycloserine augmentation of behavioral therapy for the treatment of anxiety disorders: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2012; 73(4): 533–537.
  • Bouso J. C, Doblin R, Farre M, Alcazar M. A, Gomez-Jarabo G. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy using low doses in a small sample of women with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 2008; 40(3): 225–236.
  • Bouton M. E. Context, time, and memory retrieval in the interference paradigms of Pavlovian learning. Psychological Bulletin. 1993; 114(1): 80–99.
  • Bradley R, Greene J, Russ E, Dutra L, Westen D. A multidimensional meta-analysis of psychotherapy for PTSD. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2005; 162(2): 214–227.
  • Brunet A, Orr S. P, Tremblay J, Robertson K, Nader K, Pitman R. K. Effect of post-retrieval propranolol on psychophysiologic responding during subsequent script-driven traumatic imagery in post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2008; 42(6): 503–506.
  • Brunet A, Poundja J, Tremblay J, Bui E, Thomas E, Orr S. P, etal. Trauma reactivation under the influence of propranolol decreases posttraumatic stress symptoms and disorder: 3 open-label trials. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 2011; 31(4): 547–550.
  • Cami J, Farre M, Mas M, Roset P. N, Poudevida S, Mas A, etal. Human pharmacology of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (“ecstasy”): Psychomotor performance and subjective effects. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 2000; 20(4): 455–466.
  • Choi D. C, Rothbaum B. O, Gerardi M, Ressler K. J. Pharmacological enhancement of behavioral therapy: Focus on posttraumatic stress disorder. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences. 2010; 2: 279–299.
  • Craske M. G, Kircanski K, Zelikowsky M, Mystkowski J, Chowdhury N, Baker A. Optimizing inhibitory learning during exposure therapy. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2008; 46(1): 5–27.
  • Davidson J, Pearlstein T, Londborg P, Brady K. T, Rothbaum B, Bell J, etal. Efficacy of sertraline in preventing relapse of posttraumatic stress disorder: Results of a 28-week double-blind, placebo-controlled study. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2001; 158(12): 1974–1981.
  • Davis H. P, Squire L. R. Protein synthesis and memory: A review. Psychological Bulletin. 1984; 96(3): 518–559.
  • de Kleine R. A, Hendriks G.-J, Kusters W. J. C, Broekman T. G, van Minnen A. A randomized placebo-controlled trial of d-cycloserine to enhance exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. Biological Psychiatry. 2012; 71(11): 962–968.
  • de Quervain D. J, Aerni A, Schelling G, Roozendaal B. Glucocorticoids and the regulation of memory in health and disease. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology. 2009; 30(3): 358–370.
  • de Quervain D. J, Bentz D, Michael T, Bolt O. C, Wiederhold B. K, Margraf J, etal. Glucocorticoids enhance extinction-based psychotherapy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2011; 108(16): 6621–6625.
  • Debiec J, Ledoux J. E. Disruption of reconsolidation but not consolidation of auditory fear conditioning by noradrenergic blockade in the amygdala. Neuroscience. 2004; 129(2): 267–272.
  • Dumont G. J, Sweep F. C, van der Steen R, Hermsen R, Donders A. R, Touw D. J, etal. Increased oxytocin concentrations and prosocial feelings in humans after ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) administration. Social Neuroscience. 2009; 4(4): 359–366.
  • Dumont G. J, Verkes R. J. A review of acute effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in healthy volunteers. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2006; 20(2): 176–187.
  • Dunlop B. W, Mansson E, Gerardi M. Pharmacological innovations for posttraumatic stress disorder and medication-enhanced psychotherapy. Current Pharmaceutical Design. 2012; 18(35): 5645–5658.
  • Farach F. J, Pruitt L. D, Jun J. J, Jerud A. B, Zoellner L. A, Roy-Byrne P. P. Pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders: Current treatments and future directions. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 2012; 26(8): 833–843.
  • Foa E. B, Hembree E. A, Cahill S. P, Rauch S. A. M, Riggs D. S, Feeny N. C, etal. Randomized trial of prolonged exposure for posttraumatic stress disorder with and without cognitive restructuring: Outcome at academic and community clinics. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2005; 73(5): 953–964.
  • Foa E. B, Hembree E. A, Rothbaum B. O. Prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD: Emotional processing of traumatic experiences: Therapist guide. 2007; New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Foa E. B, Rothbaum B. O. Treating the trauma of rape: Cognitive-behavioral therapy for PTSD. 1998; New York: Guilford Press.
  • Green A. R, Marsden C, Fone K. MDMA as a clinical tool: A note of caution. A response to Sessa and Nutt. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2008; 22(8): 929–931.
  • Green A. R, Mechan A. O, Elliott J. M, O'Shea E, Colado M. I. The pharmacology and clinical pharmacology of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”). Pharmacological Reviews. 2003; 55(3): 463–508.
  • Guastella A, Dadds M, Lovibond P, Mitchell P, Richardson R. A randomized controlled trial of the effect of d-cycloserine on exposure therapy for spider fear. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2007; 41(6): 466–471.
  • Hardman J, Limbird L. Goodman & Gilman's pharmacological basis of therapeutics. 2001; 10th ed, New York: McGraw Hill.
  • Hofmann S. G, Meuret A. E, Smits J. A. J, Simon N. M, Pollack M. H, Eisenmenger K, etal. Augmentation of exposure therapy with D-cycloserine for social anxiety disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2006; 63(3): 298–304.
  • Hysek C. M, Domes G, Liechti M. E. MDMA enhances “mind reading” of positive emotions and impairs “mind reading” of negative emotions. Psychopharmacology. 2012; 222(2): 293–302.
  • Hysek C. M, Simmler L. D, Nicola V. G, Vischer N, Donzelli M, Krähenbühl S, etal. Duloxetine inhibits effects of MDMA (“Ecstasy”) and in humans in a randomized placebo-controlled laboratory study. PLoS ONE. 2012; 7(5): 36476.
  • Johansen P. O, Krebs T. S. How could MDMA (ecstasy) help anxiety disorders? A neurobiological rationale. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2009; 23(4): 389–391.
  • Kehle-Forbes S. M, Polusny M. A, MacDonald R, Murdoch M, Meis L. A, Wilt T. J. A systematic review of the efficacy of adding nonexposure components to exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. 2012; 5(4): 317–322.
  • Kessler R. C, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas K. R, Walters E. E. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2005; 62(6): 593–602.
  • Kindt M, Soeter M. Reconsolidation in a human fear conditioning study: A test of extinction as updating mechanism. Biological Psychology. 2013; 92(1): 43–50.
  • Kindt M, Soeter M, Vervliet B. Beyond extinction: Erasing human fear responses and preventing the return of fear. Nature Neuroscience. 2009; 12(3): 256–258.
  • Kolbrich E. A, Goodwin R. S, Gorelick D. A, Hayes R. J, Stein E. A, Huestis M. A. Physiological and subjective responses to controlled oral 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine administration. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 2008; 28(4): 432–440.
  • Kushner M, Kim S, Donahue C, Thuras P, Adson D, Kotlyar M, etal. D-cycloserine augmented exposure therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Biological Psychiatry. 2007; 62(8): 835–838.
  • Ledgerwood L, Richardson R, Cranney J. Effects of D-cycloserine on extinction of conditioned freezing. Behavioral Neuroscience. 2003; 117(2): 341–349.
  • LeDoux J. E. Emotion: Clues from the brain. Annual Review of Psychology. 1995; 46: 209–235.
  • Liechti M. E, Baumann C, Gamma A, Vollenweider F. X. Acute psychological effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”) are attenuated by the serotonin uptake inhibitor citalopram. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2000; 22(5): 513–521.
  • Litz B. T, Salters-Pedneault K, Steenkamp M. M, Hermos J. A, Bryant R. A, Otto M. W, etal. A randomized placebo-controlled trial of d-cycloserine and exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2012; 11: 11.
  • Lonergan M. H, Olivera-Figueroa L. A, Pitman R. K, Brunet A. Propranolol's effects on the consolidation and reconsolidation of long-term emotional memory in healthy participants: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. 2012; 37(6): 120111.
  • MacDonald E, Dadds M. R, Brennan J. L, Williams K, Levy F, Cauchi A. J. A review of safety, side-effects and subjective reactions to intranasal oxytocin in human research. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011; 36(8): 1114–1126.
  • Milekic M. H, Alberini C. M. Temporally graded requirement for protein synthesis following memory reactivation. Neuron. 2002; 36(3): 521–525.
  • Mills K. L, Teesson M, Back S. E, Brady K. T, Baker A. L, Hopwood S, etal. Integrated exposure-based therapy for co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder and substance dependence: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2012; 308(7): 690–699.
  • Mills K. L, Teesson M, Ross J, Peters L. Trauma, PTSD, and substance use disorders: Findings from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2006; 163(4): 652–658.
  • Mithoefer M. C, Wagner M. T, Mithoefer A. T, Jerome L, Doblin R. The safety and efficacy of {+/−}3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: The first randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2011; 25(4): 439–452.
  • Mithoefer M. C, Wagner M. T, Mithoefer A. T, Jerome L, Martin S. F, Yazar-Klosinski B, etal. Durability of improvement in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and absence of harmful effects or drug dependency after 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy: A prospective long-term follow-up study. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2013; 27(1): 28–39.
  • Norberg M. M, Krystal J. H, Tolin D. F. A meta-analysis of D-cycloserine and the facilitation of fear extinction and exposure therapy. Biological Psychiatry. 2008; 63(12): 1118–1126.
  • Oehen P, Traber R, Widmer V, Schnyder U. A randomized, controlled pilot study of MDMA (±3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of resistant, chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2013; 27(1): 40–52.
  • Olff M, Langeland W, Witteveen A, Denys D. A psychobiological rationale for oxytocin in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. CNS Spectrum. 2010; 15(8): 522–530.
  • Otto M. W, Tolin D. F, Simon N. M, Pearlson G. D, Basden S, Meunier S. A, etal. Efficacy of D-cycloserine for enhancing response to cognitive-behavior therapy for panic disorder. Biological Psychiatry. 2010; 67(4): 365–370.
  • Parsons R. G, Ressler K. J. Implications of memory modulation for post-traumatic stress and fear disorders. Nature Neuroscience. 2013; 16(2): 146–153.
  • Phelps E. A, Delgado M. R, Nearing K. I, LeDoux J. E. Extinction learning in humans: Role of the amygdala and vmPFC. Neuron. 2004; 43(6): 897–905.
  • Powers M. B, Halpern J. M, Ferenschak M. P, Gillihan S. J, Foa E. B. A meta-analytic review of prolonged exposure for posttraumatic stress disorder. Clinical Psychology Review. 2010; 30(6): 635–641.
  • Resick P. A, Galovski T. E, O'Brien Uhlmansiek M, Scher C. D, Clum G. A, Young-Xu Y. A randomized clinical trial to dismantle components of cognitive processing therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in female victims of interpersonal violence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2008; 76(2): 243–258.
  • Ressler K. J, Rothbaum B. O, Tannenbaum L, Anderson P, Graap K, Zimand E, etal. Cognitive enhancers as adjuncts to psychotherapy: Use of D-cycloserine in phobic individuals to facilitate extinction of fear. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2004; 61(11): 1136–1144.
  • Richardson R, Ledgerwood L, Cranney J. Facilitation of fear extinction by D-cycloserine: Theoretical and clinical implications. Learning & Memory. 2004; 11(5): 510–516.
  • Rothbaum B. O, Cahill S. P, Foa E. B, Davidson J. R. T, Compton J, Connor K. M, etal. Augmentation of sertraline with prolonged exposure in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2006; 19(5): 625–638.
  • Schneier F. R, Neria Y, Pavlicova M, Hembree E, Suh E. J, Amsel L, etal. Combined prolonged exposure therapy and paroxetine for PTSD related to the World Trade Center attack: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2012; 169(1): 80–88.
  • Schnurr P. P, Friedman M. J, Engel C. C, Foa E. B, Shea M, Chow B. K, etal. Cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in women: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2007; 297(8): 820–830.
  • Sessa B. Is there a case for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in the UK? (vol 21, pg 220, 2007). Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2008; 22(6): 699–699.
  • Siegmund A, Golfels F, Finck C, Halisch A, Räth D, Plag J, etal. D-cycloserine does not improve but might slightly speed up the outcome of in-vivo exposure therapy in patients with severe agoraphobia and panic disorder in a randomized double blind clinical trial. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2011; 45(8): 1042–1047.
  • Simon N. M, Connor K. M, Lang A. J, Rauch S. A. M, Krulewicz S, LeBeau R. T, etal. Paroxetine CR augmentation for posttraumatic stress disorder refractory to prolonged exposure therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2008; 69(3): 400–405.
  • Smits J. A. J, Rosenfield D, Otto M. W, Powers M. B, Hofmann S. G, Telch M. J, etal. D-cycloserine enhancement of fear extinction is specific to successful exposure sessions: evidence from the treatment of height Phobia. Biological Psychiatry. 2013; 16(12): 01094–01093.
  • Soravia L. M, Heinrichs M, Aerni A, Maroni C, Schelling G, Ehlert U, etal. Glucocorticoids reduce phobic fear in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2006; 103(14): 5585–5590.
  • Storch E. A, Merlo L. J, Bengtson M, Murphy T. K, Lewis M. H, Yang M. C, etal. D-cycloserine does not enhance exposure-response prevention therapy in obsessive-compulsive disorder. International Clinical Psychopharmacology. 2007; 22(4): 230–237.
  • Suris A, North C, Adinoff B, Powell C. M, Greene R. Effects of exogenous glucocorticoid on combat-related PTSD symptoms. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. 2010; 22(4): 274–279.
  • Suzuki A, Josselyn S. A, Frankland P. W, Masushige S, Silva A. J, Kida S. Memory reconsolidation and extinction have distinct temporal and biochemical signatures. The Journal of Neuroscience. 2004; 24(20): 4787–4795.
  • Tart C. D, Handelsman P. R, Deboer L. B, Rosenfield D, Pollack M. H, Hofmann S. G, etal. Augmentation of exposure therapy with post-session administration of d-cycloserine. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2013; 47(2): 168–174.
  • Thompson M. R, Callaghan P. D, Hunt G. E, Cornish J. L, McGregor I. S. A role for oxytocin and 5-HT(1A) receptors in the prosocial effects of 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (“ecstasy”). Neuroscience. 2007; 146(2): 509–514.
  • van Minnen A, Hagenaars M. Fear activation and habituation patterns as early process predictors of response to prolonged exposure treatment in PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2002; 15(5): 359–367.
  • van Minnen A, Harned M. S, Zoellner L, Mills K. Examining potential contraindications for prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD. European Journal of Psychotraumatology. 2012; 3 18805, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v3i0.18805.
  • Walker D. L, Ressler K. J, Lu K. T, Davis M. Facilitation of conditioned fear extinction by systemic administration or intra-amygdala infusions of D-cycloserine as assessed with fear-potentiated startle in rats. Journal of Neuroscience. 2002; 22(6): 2343–2351.
  • Werner-Seidler A, Richardson R. Effects of D-cycloserine on extinction: Consequences of prior exposure to imipramine. Biological Psychiatry. 2007; 62(10): 1195–1197.
  • Yehuda R, Bierer L. M, Pratchett L, Malowney M. Glucocorticoid augmentation of prolonged exposure therapy: Rationale and case report. European Journal of Psychotraumatology. 2010; 1 5643, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v1i0.5643.