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Palmer AM, Carpenter MJ, Baker NL, Froeliger B, Foster MG, Garland EL, Saladin ME, Toll BA. Development of two novel treatments to promote smoking cessation: Savor and retrieval-extinction training pilot clinical trial findings. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2024; 32:16-26. [PMID: 36913266 PMCID: PMC10497721 DOI: 10.1037/pha0000644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
Despite decades of progress, cigarette smoking remains a significant contributor to disease burden. This effect is especially pronounced for specific priority populations, such as individuals who live in rural communities, in that the burden of tobacco smoking is greater among these groups than in urban areas and the general population. The present study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of two novel tobacco treatment interventions delivered through remote telehealth procedures to individuals who smoke in the state of South Carolina. Results also include exploratory analyses of smoking cessation outcomes. Study I evaluated savoring, a strategy based on mindfulness practices, alongside nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Study II evaluated retrieval-extinction training (RET), a memory-modification paradigm alongside NRT. In Study I (savoring), recruitment and retention data showed high interest and engagement in the intervention components, and participants who received this intervention decreased cigarette smoking throughout the course of the treatment (ps < .05). In Study II (RET), results showed high interest and moderate engagement in treatment, although exploratory outcome analyses did not demonstrate significant treatment effects on smoking behaviors. Overall, both studies showed promise in generating interest among individuals who smoke in participating in remotely delivered, telehealth smoking cessation interventions with novel therapeutic targets. A brief savoring intervention appeared to have effects on cigarette smoking throughout treatment, whereas RET did not. Gaining insight from the present pilot study, future studies may improve the efficacy of these procedures and incorporate the treatment components into more robust available treatments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M. Palmer
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - Matthew J. Carpenter
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina
- Cancer Control and Prevention, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - Nathaniel L. Baker
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - Brett Froeliger
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Missouri School of Medicine
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri School of Medicine
| | - Madeline G. Foster
- Cancer Control and Prevention, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - Eric L. Garland
- Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development, College of Social Work, University of Utah
- Supportive Oncology and Survivorship, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah Health
| | - Michael E. Saladin
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina
- Department of Health Sciences and Research, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - Benjamin A. Toll
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina
- Cancer Control and Prevention, Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina
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2
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Xia Y, Wehrli J, Abivardi A, Hostiuc M, Kleim B, Bach DR. Attenuating human fear memory retention with minocycline: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:28. [PMID: 38233395 PMCID: PMC10794420 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02732-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Pavlovian fear conditioning is widely used as a pre-clinical model to investigate methods for prevention and treatment of anxiety and stress-related disorders. In this model, fear memory consolidation is thought to require synaptic remodeling, which is induced by signaling cascades involving matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9). Here we investigated the effect of the tetracycline antibiotic minocycline, an inhibitor of MMP-9, on fear memory retention. We conducted a pre-registered, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in N = 105 healthy humans (N = 70 female), using a configural fear conditioning paradigm. We administered a single dose of minocycline before configural fear memory acquisition and assessed fear memory retention seven days later in a recall test. To index memory retention, we pre-registered fear-potentially startle (FPS) as our primary outcome, and pupil dilation as the secondary outcome. As control indices of memory acquisition, we analyzed skin conductance responses (SCR) and pupil dilation. We observed attenuated retention of configural fear memory in individuals treated with minocycline compared to placebo, as measured by our primary outcome. In contrast, minocycline did not affect fear memory acquisition or declarative contingency memory. Our findings provide in-vivo evidence for the inhibition of fear memory consolidation by minocycline. This could motivate further research into primary prevention, and given the short uptake time of minocycline, potentially also secondary prevention of PTSD after trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfang Xia
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Transdisciplinary Research Area Life and Health, Hertz Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Jelena Wehrli
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Aslan Abivardi
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Madalina Hostiuc
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dominik R Bach
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Transdisciplinary Research Area Life and Health, Hertz Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging & Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK.
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3
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Barak S, Goltseker K. New Approaches for Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment via Memory Retrieval and Reconsolidation Manipulations. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023. [PMID: 36627475 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Relapse to alcohol seeking and drinking is a major clinical challenge in alcohol use disorder and is frequently brought about by cue-induced craving, caused by exposure to cues that evoke alcohol-related memories. It has been postulated that memories become labile for manipulation shortly after their retrieval and then restabilize in a "memory reconsolidation" process. Disruption or interference with the reconsolidation of drug-associated memories has been suggested as a possible strategy to reduce or even prevent cue-induced craving and relapse. Here, we review literature demonstrating the capacity of behavioral or pharmacological manipulations to reduce relapse in animal models and humans when applied after a short retrieval of memories associated with alcohol, suggestively disrupting the reconsolidation of such memories. We suggest that while there is a clear potential of using post-retrieval manipulations to target specific relapse-evoking memories, future research should be more systematic, standardized, and translational. Specifically, we discuss several critical limitations and boundary conditions, which should be addressed to improve consistency and replicability in the field and lead to the development of an efficient reconsolidation-based relapse prevention therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Segev Barak
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Koral Goltseker
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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Hollandt M, Richter J. Guided reactivation of personal phobic memories prior to exposure exercises prevents the renewal of fear responses in subjects with claustrophobic fears. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2022; 77:101767. [PMID: 36113904 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2022.101767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Basic research suggest behavioral strategies for interferencing the reconsolidation of fear memories to be a promising approach in reducing clinical fears. However, first clinical studies revealed mixed results highlighting the need to identify boundary conditions. We experimentally tested the specific hypothesis that post-retrieval threat exposure prevents context renewal usually observed in protocols without fear memory reactivation. METHODS In a preliminary investigation forty-three individuals with claustrophobic fears reactivated the individual phobic memory or not during a guided emotional imagery task and then performed standardized threat exposure to provide new information for updating the original memory. During retests seven and 28 days later, the context was different from that during treatment in half of the subjects. RESULTS In those who were guided, the fear memory was successfully reactivated as indexed by increased skin conductance level (SCL) during the imagery of personal scenes relative to neutral scenes. During retests the subjects of the memory non-activation group showed a return of reported fear after context change that, however, was not observed after post-retrieval exposure. In line, autonomic arousal (SCL) decreased over time in the memory reactivation group only if the context changed during retest. LIMITATIONS Limited sample size and the inclusion of an analog sample reduce the generalizability of the results. CONCLUSIONS The reactivation of fear memory prior to treatment through guided imagery of past personal phobic situations prevented contextual renewal of phobic fears which was observed in those subjects without reactivation of memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maike Hollandt
- Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Jan Richter
- Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology/Psychotherapy, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany; Department of Experimental Psychopathology, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany.
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Appraising reconsolidation theory and its empirical validation. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 30:450-463. [PMID: 36085236 PMCID: PMC7614440 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02173-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Re-exposure to elements of prior experiences can create opportunities for inducing amnesia for those events. The dominant theoretical framework posits that such re-exposure can result in memory destabilization, making the memory representation temporarily sensitive to disruption while it awaits reconsolidation. If true, such a mechanism that allows for memories to be permanently changed could have important implications for the treatment of several forms of psychopathology. However, there have been contradictory findings and elusive occurrences of replication failures within the "reconsolidation" field. Considering its potential relevance for clinical applications, the fact that this "hot" research area is being dominated by a single mechanistic theory, and the presence of unexplainable contradictory findings, we believe that it is both useful and timely to critically evaluate the reconsolidation framework. We discuss potential issues that may arise from how reconsolidation interference has typically been deducted from behavioral observations, and provide a principled assessment of reconsolidation theory that illustrates that the theory and its proposed boundary conditions are vaguely defined, which has made it close to impossible to refute reconsolidation theory. We advocate for caution, encouraging researchers not to blindly assume that a reconsolidation process must underlie their findings, and pointing out the risks of doing so. Finally, we suggest concrete theoretical and methodological advances that can promote a fruitful translation of reminder-dependent amnesia into clinical treatment.
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Wen Y, Hao X, Chen X, Qiao S, Li Q, Winkler MH, Wang F, Yan X, Wang F, Wang L, Jiang F, Pauli P, Dong X, Li Y. Theta-Burst Stimulation Combined With Virtual-Reality Reconsolidation Intervention for Methamphetamine Use Disorder: Study Protocol for a Randomized-Controlled Trial. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:903242. [PMID: 35865301 PMCID: PMC9294395 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.903242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Craving associated with drug-related memory is one of the key factors that induce the relapse of methamphetamine (MA). Disruption or modulation of the reconsolidation of drug-related memory may serve as an option for clinical treatment of MA addiction. This protocol proposes to use virtual reality (VR) to retrieve drug-associated memory and then use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at the neural circuit that encodes the reward value of drug cues to provide a non-invasive intervention during reconsolidation. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of TMS treatment after VR retrieval on the reduction of cue reactivity and craving of MA. Methods This is a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, parallel group trial, targeting participants with MA use disorder aged from 18 to 45 years old. Forty-five eligible volunteers in Shanxi Drug Rehabilitation Center will be recruited and be randomly allocated into three parallel groups, receiving either 1) MA-related cues retrieval in VR combined with active TMS (MA VR scene + TBS) or 2) sham TMS (MA VR scene + sham TBS), or 3) neutral cues retrieval in VR combined with active TMS (neutral VR scene + TBS). Two sessions of post-VR-retrieval TBS will be scheduled on two separate days within 1 week. The primary outcome will detect the memory-related activity by the electroencephalography (EEG) reactivity to drug cues in VR scenes. Secondary outcomes are the self-reported MA craving in VR scene, the physiological parameter (cue-induced heart rate) and the scores of psychological questionnaires including anxiety, depression, and mood. All primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 1-week, and 1-month post-intervention. Assessments will be compared between the groups of 1) MA VR scene + TBS, 2) MA VR scene + sham TBS and 3) neutral VR scene + TBS. Discussion This will be the first study to examine whether the TMS modulation after VR retrieval can reduce self-reported craving and drug-related cue reactivity. It will promote the understanding of the neural circuit mechanism of the reconsolidation-based intervention and provide an effective treatment for MA use disorder patients. Clinical Trial Registration [Chinese Clinical Trial Registry], identifier [ChiCTR1900026902]. Registered on 26 October 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yatong Wen
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuemin Hao
- School of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xijing Chen
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Siyue Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qianling Li
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Markus H. Winkler
- Department of Psychology I, Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy, University of Wurzburg, Wurzburg, Germany
| | - Fenglan Wang
- Shanxi Women's Drug Rehabilitation Center, Taiyuan, China
| | - Xiaoli Yan
- Shanxi Women's Drug Rehabilitation Center, Taiyuan, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Shanxi Women's Drug Rehabilitation Center, Taiyuan, China
| | - Liang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Jiang
- Library, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Paul Pauli
- Department of Psychology I, Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy, University of Wurzburg, Wurzburg, Germany
| | - Xinwen Dong
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yonghui Li
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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7
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Simeonov L, Peniket M, Das R. No-think, No drink? Assessing the ability of reconsolidation interference by intentional forgetting to suppress alcohol memories in hazardous drinkers. Behav Res Ther 2022; 152:104055. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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8
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Ritchie JL, Walters JL, Galliou JMC, Christian RJ, Qi S, Savenkova MI, Ibarra CK, Grogan SR, Fuchs RA. Basolateral amygdala corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 1 regulates context-cocaine memory strength during reconsolidation in a sex-dependent manner. Neuropharmacology 2021; 200:108819. [PMID: 34610289 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a critical brain region for cocaine-memory reconsolidation. Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type 1 (CRFR1) is densely expressed in the BLA, and CRFR1 stimulation can activate intra-cellular signaling cascades that mediate memory reconsolidation. Hence, we tested the hypothesis that BLA CRFR1 stimulation is necessary and sufficient for cocaine-memory reconsolidation. Using an instrumental model of drug relapse, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats received cocaine self-administration training in a distinct environmental context over 10 days followed by extinction training in a different context over 7 days. Next, rats were re-exposed to the cocaine-paired context for 15 min to initiate cocaine-memory retrieval and destabilization. Immediately or 6 h after this session, the rats received bilateral vehicle, antalarmin (CRFR1 antagonist; 500 ng/hemisphere), or corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF; 0.2, 30 or 500 ng/hemisphere) infusions into the BLA. Resulting changes in drug context-induced cocaine seeking (index of context-cocaine memory strength) were assessed three days later. Female rats self-administered more cocaine infusions and exhibited more extinction responding than males. Intra-BLA antalarmin treatment immediately after memory retrieval (i.e., when cocaine memories were labile), but not 6 h later (i.e., after memory reconsolidation), attenuated drug context-induced cocaine seeking at test independent of sex, relative to vehicle. Conversely, intra-BLA CRF treatment increased this behavior selectively in females, in a U-shaped dose-dependent fashion. In control experiments, a high (behaviorally ineffective) dose of CRF treatment did not reduce BLA CRFR1 cell-surface expression in females. Thus, BLA CRFR1 signaling is necessary and sufficient, in a sex-dependent manner, for regulating cocaine-memory strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jobe L Ritchie
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Jennifer L Walters
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Justine M C Galliou
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Robert J Christian
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Shuyi Qi
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Marina I Savenkova
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Christopher K Ibarra
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Shayna R Grogan
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Rita A Fuchs
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State University Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program, Pullman, WA, USA.
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9
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Speer ME, Ibrahim S, Schiller D, Delgado MR. Finding positive meaning in memories of negative events adaptively updates memory. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6601. [PMID: 34782605 PMCID: PMC8593143 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26906-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Finding positive meaning in past negative memories is associated with enhanced mental health. Yet it remains unclear whether it leads to updates in the memory representation itself. Since memory can be labile after retrieval, this leaves the potential for modification whenever its reactivated. Across four experiments, we show that positively reinterpreting negative memories adaptively updates them, leading to the re-emergence of positivity at future retrieval. Focusing on the positive aspects after negative recall leads to enhanced positive emotion and changes in memory content during recollection one week later, remaining even after two months. Consistent with a reactivation-induced reconsolidation account, memory updating occurs only after a reminder and twenty four hours, but not a one hour delay. Multi-session fMRI showed adaptive updates are reflected in greater hippocampal and ventral striatal pattern dissimilarity across retrievals. This research highlights the mechanisms by which updating of maladaptive memories occurs through a positive emotion-focused strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Speer
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, US.
| | - Sandra Ibrahim
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, US
| | - Daniela Schiller
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, US
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, US
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Rafei P, Rezapour T, Bickel WK, Ekhtiari H. Imagining the Future to Reshape the Past: A Path to Combine Cue Extinction and Memory Reconsolidation With Episodic Foresight for Addiction Treatment. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:692645. [PMID: 34366921 PMCID: PMC8333691 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.692645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Parnian Rafei
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tara Rezapour
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Sciences Studies, Tehran, Iran
| | - Warren K. Bickel
- Addiction Recovery Research Center, Center for Transformative Research on Health Behaviors, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA, United States
| | - Hamed Ekhtiari
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States
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11
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Targeting the Reconsolidation of Licit Drug Memories to Prevent Relapse: Focus on Alcohol and Nicotine. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22084090. [PMID: 33920982 PMCID: PMC8071281 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22084090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol and nicotine are widely abused legal substances worldwide. Relapse to alcohol or tobacco seeking and consumption after abstinence is a major clinical challenge, and is often evoked by cue-induced craving. Therefore, disruption of the memory for the cue–drug association is expected to suppress relapse. Memories have been postulated to become labile shortly after their retrieval, during a “memory reconsolidation” process. Interference with the reconsolidation of drug-associated memories has been suggested as a possible strategy to reduce or even prevent cue-induced craving and relapse. Here, we surveyed the growing body of studies in animal models and in humans assessing the effectiveness of pharmacological or behavioral manipulations in reducing relapse by interfering with the reconsolidation of alcohol and nicotine/tobacco memories. Our review points to the potential of targeting the reconsolidation of these memories as a strategy to suppress relapse to alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking. However, we discuss several critical limitations and boundary conditions, which should be considered to improve the consistency and replicability in the field, and for development of an efficient reconsolidation-based relapse-prevention therapy.
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12
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Yeung RC, Fernandes MA. Divided attention at encoding or retrieval interferes with emotionally enhanced memory for words. Memory 2021; 29:284-297. [PMID: 33619990 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2021.1887896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Emotional information is typically better remembered than neutral information. We asked whether emotional, compared to neutral, words were less vulnerable to the detrimental effects of divided attention. In two experiments, undergraduate students intentionally encoded words of intermixed valence (neutral, negative, or positive) and arousal (neutral, high, or low). Following a filled delay, memory was assessed with a free recall test. In Experiment 1, participants encoded visually-presented words under either full attention (FA; no distracting task) or divided attention (DA; concurrently making animacy decisions to auditorily-presented distractor words) in a counterbalanced, within-subjects design. As expected following FA at encoding, recall was significantly enhanced for negative compared to neutral words. Following DA at encoding, recall was significantly impaired across all valences. Critically, DA at encoding also eliminated the memory benefit for negative information: recall of negative words was no longer significantly different from neutral or positive words. In Experiment 2, we manipulated attention at retrieval rather than encoding. Remarkably, results from Experiment 1 were replicated: DA eliminated the well-known emotionality boost for negative words. In both experiments, memory for positive words did not significantly differ from neutral. Findings suggest that DA during either encoding or retrieval can interfere with the specific mechanisms by which negative emotion typically improves memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan C Yeung
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
| | - Myra A Fernandes
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
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13
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Levy I, Schiller D. Neural Computations of Threat. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:151-171. [PMID: 33384214 PMCID: PMC8084636 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
A host of learning, memory, and decision-making processes form the individual's response to threat and may be disrupted in anxiety and post-trauma psychopathology. Here we review the neural computations of threat, from the first encounter with a dangerous situation, through learning, storing, and updating cues that predict it, to making decisions about the optimal course of action. The overview highlights the interconnected nature of these processes and their reliance on shared neural and computational mechanisms. We propose an integrative approach to the study of threat-related processes, in which specific computations are studied across the various stages of threat experience rather than in isolation. This approach can generate new insights about the evolution, diagnosis, and treatment of threat-related psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ifat Levy
- Departments of Comparative Medicine, Neuroscience, and Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Daniela Schiller
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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14
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Postreactivation mifepristone impairs generalization of strongly conditioned contextual fear memories. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 27:483-487. [PMID: 33199472 PMCID: PMC7670861 DOI: 10.1101/lm.052167.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The efficacy of pharmacological disruption of fear memory reconsolidation depends on several factors, including memory strength and age. We built on previous observations that systemic treatment with the nootropic nefiracetam potentiates cued fear memory destabilization to facilitate mifepristone-induced reconsolidation impairment. Here, we applied nefiratecam and mifepristone to strongly conditioned, 1-wk-old contextual fear memories in male rats. Unexpectedly, the combined treatment did not result in impairment of contextual fear expression. However, mifepristone did reduce freezing to a novel context. These observations suggest that strong and established contextual fear memories do undergo destabilization without the need for pharmacological facilitation, and that impairments in strong context fear memory reconsolidation can manifest as a reduction in generalization.
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Drame ML, Balaet M, Lee JLC. Memory reconsolidation impairments in sign-tracking to an audiovisual compound stimulus. Behav Brain Res 2020; 393:112774. [PMID: 32553756 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Studies of memory reconsolidation of pavlovian memories have typically employed unimodal conditioned stimuli, despite the use of multimodal compound stimuli in other settings. Here we studied sign-tracking behaviour to a compound audiovisual stimulus. First, we observed not unexpectedly that sign-tracking was poorer to the audiovisual compound than to unimodal visual stimuli. Then, we showed that, depending on the parameters of compound stimulus re-exposure at memory reactivation, systemic MK-801 treatment either impaired extinction to improve sign-tracking at test, or disrupted reconsolidation to impair test behaviour. When memory reactivation consisted of re-exposure to only the auditory component of the compound stimulus, we observed sign-tracking impairments following MK-801 treatment, but only under certain test conditions. This was in contrast to the consistent impairment following reactivation with the full audiovisual compound. Moreover, the parameters of auditory stimulus presentation to enable MK-801-induced impairment at test varied depending on whether the stimulus was presented within or outside the training context. These findings suggest that behaviour under the control of appetitive pavlovian compound stimuli can be modulated by targeting both extinction and reconsolidation, and that it is not necessary to re-expose to the full compound stimulus in order to achieve a degree of modulation of behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Balaet
- University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
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Fullana M, Dunsmoor J, Schruers K, Savage H, Bach D, Harrison B. Human fear conditioning: From neuroscience to the clinic. Behav Res Ther 2020; 124:103528. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.103528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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