New Approaches for Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment via Memory Retrieval and Reconsolidation Manipulations

Segev Barak, Koral Goltseker

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Relapse to alcohol seeking and drinking is a major clinical challenge in alcohol use disorder and is frequently brought about by cue-induced craving, caused by exposure to cues that evoke alcohol-related memories. It has been postulated that memories become labile for manipulation shortly after their retrieval and then restabilize in a “memory reconsolidation” process. Disruption or 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 review literature demonstrating the capacity of behavioral or pharmacological manipulations to reduce relapse in animal models and humans when applied after a short retrieval of memories associated with alcohol, suggestively disrupting the reconsolidation of such memories. We suggest that while there is a clear potential of using post-retrieval manipulations to target specific relapse-evoking memories, future research should be more systematic, standardized, and translational. Specifically, we discuss several critical limitations and boundary conditions, which should be addressed to improve consistency and replicability in the field and lead to the development of an efficient reconsolidation-based relapse prevention therapy.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCurrent Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
Place of PublicationBerlin, Heidelberg
Pages1-19
Number of pages19
DOIs
StatePublished Online - 11 Jan 2023

Publication series

NameCurrent Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
PublisherSpringer

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