Pilot-controlled trial of D-cycloserine for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder

Dysfunction of glutamatergic neurotransmission may be relevant to the pathogenesis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that PTSD symptoms could be alleviated following enhancement of neurotransmission mediated at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtyp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology 2002-12, Vol.5 (4), p.301-307, Article S1461145702003061
Main Authors: Heresco-Levy, Uriel, Kremer, Ilana, Javitt, Daniel C., Goichman, Rodica, Reshef, Alon, Blanaru, Monica, Cohen, Tamar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Antibiotics, Antitubercular - therapeutic use
Brief Report
Chronic Disease
Cognition - drug effects
Cross-Over Studies
Cycloserine - therapeutic use
Double-Blind Method
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Pilot Projects
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Receptors, Glycine - agonists
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - drug therapy
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Dysfunction of glutamatergic neurotransmission may be relevant to the pathogenesis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that PTSD symptoms could be alleviated following enhancement of neurotransmission mediated at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptors. Eleven patients with chronic PTSD participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial with 50 mg/d D-cycloserine which acts as a partial agonist at the glycine regulatory site on the NMDA receptor. D-cycloserine treatment resulted in significant improvements in numbing, avoidance, and anxiety symptoms; however, similar effects were also observed during placebo treatment. In addition, D-cycloserine treatment resulted in a significant (p=0.03), reduction in the perseverative error scores as measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. This pilot study is the first to assess the efficacy of a NMDA receptor modulator for PTSD treatment and its results warrant further, larger-scale investigation.
ISSN:1461-1457
1469-5111
DOI:10.1017/S1461145702003061