Targeting the Reconsolidation of Licit Drug Memories to Prevent Relapse: Focus on Alcohol and Nicotine
Alcohol and nicotine are widely abused legal substances worldwide. Relapse to alcohol or tobacco seeking and consumption after abstinence is a major clinical challenge, and is often evoked by cue-induced craving. Therefore, disruption of the memory for the cue–drug association is expected to suppres...
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doaj-443a1edc64ed43f185ca28862ad68f1d2021-04-15T23:03:36ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672021-04-01224090409010.3390/ijms22084090Targeting the Reconsolidation of Licit Drug Memories to Prevent Relapse: Focus on Alcohol and NicotineSegev Barak0Koral Goltseker1School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, IsraelZuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USAAlcohol and nicotine are widely abused legal substances worldwide. Relapse to alcohol or tobacco seeking and consumption after abstinence is a major clinical challenge, and is often evoked by cue-induced craving. Therefore, disruption of the memory for the cue–drug association is expected to suppress relapse. Memories have been postulated to become labile shortly after their retrieval, during a “memory reconsolidation” process. Interference with the reconsolidation of drug-associated memories has been suggested as a possible strategy to reduce or even prevent cue-induced craving and relapse. Here, we surveyed the growing body of studies in animal models and in humans assessing the effectiveness of pharmacological or behavioral manipulations in reducing relapse by interfering with the reconsolidation of alcohol and nicotine/tobacco memories. Our review points to the potential of targeting the reconsolidation of these memories as a strategy to suppress relapse to alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking. However, we discuss several critical limitations and boundary conditions, which should be considered to improve the consistency and replicability in the field, and for development of an efficient reconsolidation-based relapse-prevention therapy.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/8/4090memory reconsolidationaddictionalcoholnicotinetobaccorelapse |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Segev Barak Koral Goltseker |
spellingShingle |
Segev Barak Koral Goltseker Targeting the Reconsolidation of Licit Drug Memories to Prevent Relapse: Focus on Alcohol and Nicotine International Journal of Molecular Sciences memory reconsolidation addiction alcohol nicotine tobacco relapse |
author_facet |
Segev Barak Koral Goltseker |
author_sort |
Segev Barak |
title |
Targeting the Reconsolidation of Licit Drug Memories to Prevent Relapse: Focus on Alcohol and Nicotine |
title_short |
Targeting the Reconsolidation of Licit Drug Memories to Prevent Relapse: Focus on Alcohol and Nicotine |
title_full |
Targeting the Reconsolidation of Licit Drug Memories to Prevent Relapse: Focus on Alcohol and Nicotine |
title_fullStr |
Targeting the Reconsolidation of Licit Drug Memories to Prevent Relapse: Focus on Alcohol and Nicotine |
title_full_unstemmed |
Targeting the Reconsolidation of Licit Drug Memories to Prevent Relapse: Focus on Alcohol and Nicotine |
title_sort |
targeting the reconsolidation of licit drug memories to prevent relapse: focus on alcohol and nicotine |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
issn |
1661-6596 1422-0067 |
publishDate |
2021-04-01 |
description |
Alcohol and nicotine are widely abused legal substances worldwide. Relapse to alcohol or tobacco seeking and consumption after abstinence is a major clinical challenge, and is often evoked by cue-induced craving. Therefore, disruption of the memory for the cue–drug association is expected to suppress relapse. Memories have been postulated to become labile shortly after their retrieval, during a “memory reconsolidation” process. Interference with the reconsolidation of drug-associated memories has been suggested as a possible strategy to reduce or even prevent cue-induced craving and relapse. Here, we surveyed the growing body of studies in animal models and in humans assessing the effectiveness of pharmacological or behavioral manipulations in reducing relapse by interfering with the reconsolidation of alcohol and nicotine/tobacco memories. Our review points to the potential of targeting the reconsolidation of these memories as a strategy to suppress relapse to alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking. However, we discuss several critical limitations and boundary conditions, which should be considered to improve the consistency and replicability in the field, and for development of an efficient reconsolidation-based relapse-prevention therapy. |
topic |
memory reconsolidation addiction alcohol nicotine tobacco relapse |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/8/4090 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT segevbarak targetingthereconsolidationoflicitdrugmemoriestopreventrelapsefocusonalcoholandnicotine AT koralgoltseker targetingthereconsolidationoflicitdrugmemoriestopreventrelapsefocusonalcoholandnicotine |
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