Placebo and Non-specific Effects in Reconsolidation-Based Treatment for Arachnophobia

The idea that maladaptive memories may be rendered susceptible to interference after reactivation raises the possibility of reactivating and neutralizing clinically-relevant emotional memories. In this study, we sought to investigate the feasibility of such a “reconsolidation-based” intervention for...

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Autores principales:	James W. B. Elsey, Merel Kindt
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Materias:	memory reconsolidation propranolol placebo arachnophobia fear and anxiety spider Psychiatry RC435-571
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/43f2b2bc4f124215aaea7521f220ab36
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:43f2b2bc4f124215aaea7521f220ab362021-11-12T05:21:13ZPlacebo and Non-specific Effects in Reconsolidation-Based Treatment for Arachnophobia1664-064010.3389/fpsyt.2021.775770https://doaj.org/article/43f2b2bc4f124215aaea7521f220ab362021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.775770/fullhttps://doaj.org/toc/1664-0640The idea that maladaptive memories may be rendered susceptible to interference after reactivation raises the possibility of reactivating and neutralizing clinically-relevant emotional memories. In this study, we sought to investigate the feasibility of such a “reconsolidation-based” intervention for arachnophobia, drawing upon previous research that successfully reduced fear of spiders in a subclinical sample. In Experiment 1, we piloted several reactivation procedures for conducting a reconsolidation-based treatment for arachnophobic individuals. All procedures involved some form of brief exposure to a fear-provoking spider, followed by the administration of 40 mg propranolol. In Experiment 2, we conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled assessment of one procedure tested in Experiment 1. In Experiment 1, we found that most reactivation procedures produced drops in self-reported fear of spiders from pre- to post-treatment, including fear declines that were apparent up to 6- and even 14-months later. However, in Experiment 2, we found no evidence that the participants receiving propranolol were better off than those who received placebo. While our findings are limited by the small sample sizes used, they nevertheless show a different pattern of responses than was observed in a previous reconsolidation-based intervention for subclinical spider fearful participants. Alterations to the protocol made to accommodate the clinical participants may have led to greater opportunities for non-specific effects (e.g., exposure, placebo effects) to drive change in the participants. Our findings highlight both the challenges of translating reconsolidation-based procedures into clinical interventions, as well as the importance of controls for non-specific effects in reconsolidation-based research.James W. B. ElseyMerel KindtFrontiers Media S.A.articlememory reconsolidationpropranololplaceboarachnophobiafear and anxietyspiderPsychiatryRC435-571ENFrontiers in Psychiatry, Vol 12 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	memory reconsolidation propranolol placebo arachnophobia fear and anxiety spider Psychiatry RC435-571
spellingShingle	memory reconsolidation propranolol placebo arachnophobia fear and anxiety spider Psychiatry RC435-571 James W. B. Elsey Merel Kindt Placebo and Non-specific Effects in Reconsolidation-Based Treatment for Arachnophobia
description	The idea that maladaptive memories may be rendered susceptible to interference after reactivation raises the possibility of reactivating and neutralizing clinically-relevant emotional memories. In this study, we sought to investigate the feasibility of such a “reconsolidation-based” intervention for arachnophobia, drawing upon previous research that successfully reduced fear of spiders in a subclinical sample. In Experiment 1, we piloted several reactivation procedures for conducting a reconsolidation-based treatment for arachnophobic individuals. All procedures involved some form of brief exposure to a fear-provoking spider, followed by the administration of 40 mg propranolol. In Experiment 2, we conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled assessment of one procedure tested in Experiment 1. In Experiment 1, we found that most reactivation procedures produced drops in self-reported fear of spiders from pre- to post-treatment, including fear declines that were apparent up to 6- and even 14-months later. However, in Experiment 2, we found no evidence that the participants receiving propranolol were better off than those who received placebo. While our findings are limited by the small sample sizes used, they nevertheless show a different pattern of responses than was observed in a previous reconsolidation-based intervention for subclinical spider fearful participants. Alterations to the protocol made to accommodate the clinical participants may have led to greater opportunities for non-specific effects (e.g., exposure, placebo effects) to drive change in the participants. Our findings highlight both the challenges of translating reconsolidation-based procedures into clinical interventions, as well as the importance of controls for non-specific effects in reconsolidation-based research.
format	article
author	James W. B. Elsey Merel Kindt
author_facet	James W. B. Elsey Merel Kindt
author_sort	James W. B. Elsey
title	Placebo and Non-specific Effects in Reconsolidation-Based Treatment for Arachnophobia
title_short	Placebo and Non-specific Effects in Reconsolidation-Based Treatment for Arachnophobia
title_full	Placebo and Non-specific Effects in Reconsolidation-Based Treatment for Arachnophobia
title_fullStr	Placebo and Non-specific Effects in Reconsolidation-Based Treatment for Arachnophobia
title_full_unstemmed	Placebo and Non-specific Effects in Reconsolidation-Based Treatment for Arachnophobia
title_sort	placebo and non-specific effects in reconsolidation-based treatment for arachnophobia
publisher	Frontiers Media S.A.
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/43f2b2bc4f124215aaea7521f220ab36
work_keys_str_mv	AT jameswbelsey placeboandnonspecificeffectsinreconsolidationbasedtreatmentforarachnophobia AT merelkindt placeboandnonspecificeffectsinreconsolidationbasedtreatmentforarachnophobia
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Placebo and Non-specific Effects in Reconsolidation-Based Treatment for Arachnophobia

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