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Pharmacologic blockade of memory reconsolidation has been demonstrated in fear-conditioned rodents and humans and may provide a means to reduce fearfulness in anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. Studying the efficacy of potential interventions in clinical populations is challenging, creating a need for paradigms within which candidate reconsolidation-blocking interventions can be readily tested. We used videos of biologically prepared conditioned stimuli (tarantulas) to test the efficacy of propranolol in blocking reconsolidation of conditioned fear in healthy young adults. Strong differential conditioning, measured by skin conductance, was observed among a screened subset of participants during acquisition. However, subsequent propranolol failed to reduce reactivity to the reactivated conditioned stimulus. These results are consistent with other recent findings and point to a need for testing other candidate drugs.

A brief 10-min time delay between an initial and subsequent exposure to extinction trials has been found to impair memory reconsolidation in fear-conditioned rodents and humans, providing a potential means to reduce fearfulness in anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study used videos of biologically prepared, conditioned stimuli (tarantulas) to test the efficacy of delayed extinction in blocking reconsolidation of conditioned fear in healthy young adults. Strong differential conditioning, measured by skin conductance, was observed among a screened subset of participants during acquisition. However, the delayed-extinction intervention failed to reduce reactivity to the conditioned stimulus paired with the extinction delay. These results are partially consistent with other recent, mixed findings and point to a need for testing other candidate interventions designed to interfere with the reconsolidation process.

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P (2014). Cortical and cerebellar modulation of autonomic responses to loud sounds. Psychophysiology, 51(1):60-69.

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Neurological soft signs (NSSs) tap into a variety of perceptual, motor, and cognitive functions. The authors administered a battery of NSSs serially to a group of 14 pilot patients recruited from an emergency room after they experienced a mild traumatic brain injury. Patients were seen within 96 hours after injury, and again 30 and 90 days later. Measures of balance, mood, and postconcussive symptoms and impairment were also obtained. NSSs and balance improved across visits. Across visits, NSSs and balance were not significantly associated with any postconcussive outcome measures, although depressive symptoms were. Initial neurological impairment appeared to predict subsequent residual postconcussive symptoms and impairment, but this result requires replication.

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