D-Cycloserine as an augmentation strategy for cognitive behavioral therapy of anxiety disorders.
Date
2013-06-15
Authors
Hofmann, Stefan G.
Wu, Jade Q.
Boettcher, Hannah
Version
OA Version
Citation
Stefan G Hofmann, Jade Q Wu, Hannah Boettcher. 2013. "D-Cycloserine as an augmentation strategy for cognitive behavioral therapy of anxiety disorders.." Biol Mood Anxiety Disord, Volume 3, Issue 1:11.
Abstract
The goal of this review is to examine the clinical studies on d-cycloserine, a partial glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate agonist, as an augmentation strategy for exposure procedures during cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. Although cognitive behavioral therapy and anxiolytic medications are more effective than placebo for treating anxiety disorders, there is still considerable room for further improvement. Traditional combination strategies typically yield disappointing results. However, recent studies based on translational research have shown promise to augment the neural circuitry underlying fear extinction with pharmacological means. We discuss the current state of the literature, including inconsistencies of findings and issues concerning the drug mechanism, dosing, and dose timing. D-cycloserine is a promising combination strategy for cognitive behavioral therapy of anxiety disorders by augmenting extinction learning. However, there is also evidence to suggest that d-cycloserine can facilitate reconsolidation of fear memory when exposure procedures are unsuccessful.
Description
License
© Hofmann et al. 2013.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.