L-DOPA improves extinction memory retrieval after successful fear extinction.

ABSTRACT: RATIONALE:A promising strategy to prevent a return of fear after exposure-based therapy in anxiety disorders is to pharmacologically enhance the extinction memory consolidation presumed to occur after exposure. Accumulating evidence suggests that the effect of a number of pharmacological consolidation enhancers depends on a successful fear reduction during exposure. Here, we employed the dopamine precursor L-DOPA to clarify whether its documented potential to enhance extinction memory consolidation is dependent on successful fear extinction. METHODS:In two double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled experiments (experiment 1: N = 79, experiment 2: N = 32) comprising fear conditioning (day 1), extinction followed by administration of 150 mg L-DOPA or placebo (day 2) and a memory test (d

SUBMITTER: Gerlicher AMV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6892771 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature