Targeting the reconsolidation of licit drug memories to prevent relapse: Focus on alcohol and nicotine

Segev Barak*, Koral Goltseker*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Article number4090
JournalInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences
Volume22
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Apr 2021

Funding

FundersFunder number
National Institute for Psychobiology in Israel207-18-19
Deutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftGR 857/29
United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation2017-022
Israel Science Foundation508-20

    Keywords

    • Addiction
    • Alcohol
    • Animal models
    • Memory reconsolidation
    • Nicotine
    • Relapse
    • Tobacco

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