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Current Psychiatry Reviews

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1573-4005
ISSN (Online): 1875-6441

The Future of D-Cycloserine and Other Cognitive Modifiers in Obsessive- Compulsive and Related Disorders

Author(s): Michael L. Sulkowski, Daniel A. Geller, Adam B. Lewin, Tanya K. Murphy, Andrew Mittelman, B.A. , Ashley Brown, B.A. and Eric A. Storch

Volume 10, Issue 4, 2014

Page: [317 - 324] Pages: 8

DOI: 10.2174/1573400510666140619224942

Price: $65

Abstract

Variants of exposure therapy are effective for treating obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs). However, significant numbers of patients do not respond adequately to exposure therapy resulting in continued distress and functional impairment. Therefore, novel approaches to augmenting exposure therapy are needed to adequately treat non- and partial-responders. Emerging research suggests that interventions that augment learning and memory processes associated with exposure therapy (i.e., extinction training) may display promise in enhancing treatment response in OCRDs. As the most studied example, d-cycloserine (DCS) is a relatively safe cognitive enhancer that appears to accelerate treatment gains associated with exposure therapy. This article reviews research on the use of DCS and other putative cognitive modifiers as they relate to the treatment (or prospective treatment) of obsessive-compulsive disorder and other OCRDs.

Keywords: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor, cognitive enhancer, D-cycloserine, glucocorticoids, memory reconsolidation, obsessive-compulsive disorder, yohimbine.


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