scholarly journals Intranasal oxytocin administration impacts the acquisition and consolidation of trauma-associated memories: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled experimental study in healthy women

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Schultebraucks ◽  
Tolou Maslahati ◽  
Katja Wingenfeld ◽  
Julian Hellmann-Regen ◽  
Julia Kraft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Scores ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Intrusive Memories ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Healthy Women ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Machine Learning Approach ◽  
Post Traumatic

AbstractIntrusive memories are a hallmark symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and oxytocin has been implicated in the formation of intrusive memories. This study investigates how oxytocin influences the acquisition and consolidation of trauma-associated memories and whether these effects are influenced by individual neurobiological and genetic differences. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 220 healthy women received either a single dose of intranasal 24IU oxytocin or a placebo before exposure to a trauma film paradigm that solicits intrusive memories. We used a “general random forest” machine learning approach to examine whether differences in the noradrenergic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, polygenic risk for psychiatric disorders, and genetic polymorphism of the oxytocin receptor influence the effect of oxytocin on the acquisition and consolidation of intrusive memories. Oxytocin induced significantly more intrusive memories than placebo did (t(188.33) = 2.12, p = 0.035, Cohen’s d = 0.30, 95% CI 0.16–0.44). As hypothesized, we found that the effect of oxytocin on intrusive memories was influenced by biological covariates, such as salivary cortisol, heart rate variability, and PTSD polygenic risk scores. The five factors that were most relevant to the oxytocin effect on intrusive memories were included in a Poisson regression, which showed that, besides oxytocin administration, higher polygenic loadings for PTSD and major depressive disorder were directly associated with a higher number of reported intrusions after exposure to the trauma film stressor. These results suggest that intranasal oxytocin amplifies the acquisition and consolidation of intrusive memories and that this effect is modulated by neurobiological and genetic factors. Trial registration: NCT03031405.

scholarly journals Influence of the noradrenergic system on the formation of intrusive memories in women: an experimental approach with a trauma film paradigm

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (12) ◽  
pp. 2523-2534 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Rombold ◽  
K. Wingenfeld ◽  
B. Renneberg ◽  
J. Hellmann-Regen ◽  
C. Otte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Noradrenergic System ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Intrusive Memories ◽  
Healthy Women ◽  
Time Treatment ◽  
Before And After

BackgroundIntrusive memories of traumatic events are a core feature of post-traumatic stress disorder but little is known about the neurobiological formation of intrusions. The aim of this study was to determine whether the activity of the noradrenergic system during an intrusion-inducing stressor would influence subsequent intrusive memories.MethodWe conducted an experimental, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 118 healthy women. Participants received a single dose of either 10 mg yohimbine, stimulating noradrenergic activity, or 0.15 mg clonidine, inhibiting noradrenergic activity, or placebo. Subsequently, they watched an established trauma film which induced intrusions. The number of consecutive intrusions resulting from the trauma film, the vividness of the intrusions, and the degree of distress evoked by the intrusions were assessed during the following 4 days. Salivary cortisol and α-amylase were collected before and after the trauma film.ResultsA significant time × treatment interaction for the number of intrusions and the vividness of intrusions indicated a different time course of intrusions depending on treatment. Post-hoc tests revealed a delayed decrease of intrusions and a delayed decrease of intrusion vividness after the trauma film in the yohimbine group compared with the clonidine and placebo groups. Furthermore, after yohimbine administration, a significant increase in salivary cortisol levels was observed during the trauma film.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that pharmacological activation of the noradrenergic system during an emotionally negative event makes an impact on consecutive intrusive memories and their vividness in healthy women. The noradrenergic system seems to be involved in the formation of intrusive memories.

scholarly journals Fluoxetine v. placebo in prevention of relapse in post-traumatic stress disorder

2002 ◽  
Vol 181 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferenc Martenyi ◽  
Eileen B. Brown ◽  
Harry Zhang ◽  
Stephanie C. Koke ◽  
Apurva Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Time To Relapse

BackgroundLittle is known about the effect of pharmacotherapy in the prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relapse.AimsTo assess the efficacy and tolerability of fluoxetine in preventing PTSD relapse.MethodThis was a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study. Following 12 weeks of acute treatment, patients who responded were re-randomised and continued in a 24-week relapse prevention phase with fluoxetine (n=69) or placebo (n=62). The primary efficacy assessment was the prevention of PTSD relapse, based on the time to relapse.ResultsPatients in the fluoxetine/fluoxetine group were less likely to relapse than patients in the fluoxetine/placebo group (P=0.027). There were no clinically significant differences in treatment-emergent adverse events between treatment groups.ConclusionsFluoxetine is effective and well tolerated in the prevention of PTSD relapse for up to 6 months.

scholarly journals Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled study to evaluate the Efficacy of an early treatment with Herbal Supplement based in the Prevention of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in emergency department (PHYTéS Study)

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
riadh boukef ◽  
rym youssef ◽  
hajer yaacoubi ◽  
imen trabelsi ◽  
adel sekma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Placebo Group ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Herbal Supplement ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Post Traumatic

Introduction: The prevention from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is therefore of major public health interest and one of the concerns of any emergency physician. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of an herbal supplement to prevent the occurrence of PTSD in high-risk patients. Methods: It is a randomized, double-blind, prospective, interventional study including patients exposed to a potentially traumatic event that meets DSM-V Criterion A and has a Peri-traumatic Distress Inventory score or the Questionnary for traumatic dissociation experiments (PDEQ) and/or L.Crocq score higher than the thresholds between day 1 and day 3. Two hundred patients were included randomly assigned into two groups: Aleozen group and placebo group. Patients included in aleozen group received Aleozen® for 10 days while patients in placebo group received Placebo. A CAPS-5 assessment was performed for all patients at different moments. The main objective was to assess the efficacy of Aleozen after 90 days of an exposition to traumatic events according to PTSD. Secondary objectives were to evaluate the safety of Aleozen® at 10 and 30 days after its administration and PTSD in the study population after one year of inclusion. Results: No statistical differences were noted between the two groups in term of baseline characteristics including age, sex and the ISS score. After 90 days of follow-up, and according to the CAPS-5 scale, 85 patients (42.5%) of the population study showed PTSD. Concerning primary endpoint, less PTSD were seen in intervention group compared to placebo group (38.8% versus 61.2% respectively; p<0.001). During the study, no adverse events were noted. Conclusion: Results of this work suggest the potential preventive effects of an herbal supplement on PTSD for traumatic patient in emergency. Further confirmatory studies are needed.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on the efficacy and tolerability of sertraline in Iranian veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 2159-2166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Panahi ◽  
B. Rezazadeh Moghaddam ◽  
A. Sahebkar ◽  
M. Abbasi Nazari ◽  
F. Beiraghdar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Placebo Group ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Double Blind Placebo ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Mean

BackgroundUnlike civilian post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the efficacy of sertraline for the treatment of combat-related PTSD has not yet been proven. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of sertraline against combat-related PTSD in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.MethodSeventy Iranian veterans of the Iran–Iraq war who met the DSM-IV criteria for diagnosis of PTSD were randomized to receive either flexibly dosed sertraline (50–200 mg/day) (n=35, completers=32) or placebo (n=35, completers=30) for 10 weeks. Efficacy was evaluated by the Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R) and the Clinical Global Impression scale – Severity (CGI-S) and Improvement (CGI-I) ratings. Responder criteria were defined as a ⩾30% reduction in the IES-R total score plus a CGI-I rating of ‘much’ or ‘very much’ improved.ResultsOn both intention-to-treat (ITT) and per protocol (completer) methods of analysis, the mean reductions in the IES-R total and subscale (re-experiencing/intrusion, avoidance/numbing and hyperarousal) scores (p<0.001) and also in the CGI-S score (p<0.01) were significantly greater in the sertraline group than in the placebo group. For the CGI-I, the mean endpoint score was significantly lower in the sertraline group than in the placebo group (p⩽0.001). The number of responders in the sertraline group was significantly higher than in the placebo group (44% v. 3%, p⩽0.001). Sertraline was well tolerated, with a 6% discontinuation rate as a result of adverse reactions.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that sertraline can be an effective, safe and tolerable treatment for combat-related PTSD in Iranian veterans.

Eye-Movement Desensitisation: A Simple Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

1993 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew C. Page ◽  
Rocco D. Crino
Keyword(s):  
Effective Treatment ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Cost Effective Treatment ◽  
Post Traumatic

Eye-movement desensitisation has been identified in a number of case studies to be an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A further case study reporting success is presented. The treatment appears rapid and may represent a potentially cost-effective treatment for PTSD. However, no treatment study to date has conformed to the ideal methodology of a double-blind placebo controlled trial and therefore its efficacy remains to be demonstrated. A minimal but stringent set of criteria for identification of treatment efficacy are outlined. The implications of eye-movement desensitisation being identified as an effective treatment for PTSD are discussed.

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