Augmentation of exposure therapy with post-session administration of D-cycloserine.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pre-session administration of d-cycloserine (DCS) has been found to augment exposure therapy outcomes in a variety of anxiety disorders. To be able to enhance learning only for successful exposure sessions, it would be beneficial to have the option of administering DCS after rather than before the session, a strategy encouraged by pre-clinical work. We believe the present study is the first published report on the efficacy of post-session administration of DCS in humans.

Method

Adults (N = 29) with a DSM-IV diagnosis of acrophobia were randomized to receive two sessions of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRE) in combination with placebo or 50 mg of DCS. Instead of administering the pill prior to each of the sessions, as has been done in extant work, we administe

SUBMITTER: Tart CD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3732105 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature