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Published Online: 1 October 2014

Effects of Post-Session Administration of Methylene Blue on Fear Extinction and Contextual Memory in Adults With Claustrophobia

Abstract

Administering methylene blue, a memory-enhancing agent, after successful exposure therapy promoted the retention of fear extinction in claustrophobic patients, but clinicians should carefully consider what level of fear reduction was achieved in session to avoid harmful effects.

Abstract

Objective

Preclinical studies have shown that low-dose methylene blue increases mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase activity in the brain and improves memory retention after learning tasks, including fear extinction. The authors report on the first controlled experiment to examine the memory-enhancing effects of posttraining methylene blue administration on retention of fear extinction and contextual memory following fear extinction training.

Method

Adult participants displaying marked claustrophobic fear were randomly assigned to double-blind administration of 260 mg of methylene blue (N=23) or administration of placebo (N=19) immediately following six 5-minute extinction trials in an enclosed chamber. Retesting occurred 1 month later to assess fear renewal as indexed by peak fear during exposure to a nontraining chamber, with the prediction that the effects of methylene blue would vary as a function of fear reduction achieved during extinction training. Incidental contextual memory was assessed 1 and 30 days after training to assess the cognitive-enhancing effects of methylene blue independent of its effects on fear attenuation.

Results

Consistent with predictions, participants displaying low end fear posttraining showed significantly less fear at the 1-month follow-up if they received methylene blue posttraining compared with placebo. In contrast, participants displaying moderate to high levels of posttraining fear tended to fare worse at the follow-up if they received methylene blue posttraining. Methylene blue’s enhancement of contextual memory was unrelated to initial or posttraining claustrophobic fear.

Conclusions

Methylene blue enhances memory and the retention of fear extinction when administered after a successful exposure session but may have a deleterious effect on extinction when administered after an unsuccessful exposure session.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to American Journal of Psychiatry
Go to American Journal of Psychiatry
American Journal of Psychiatry
Pages: 1091 - 1098
PubMed: 25018057

History

Received: 25 October 2013
Revision received: 3 March 2014
Revision received: 16 April 2014
Accepted: 24 April 2014
Published online: 1 October 2014
Published in print: October 2014

Authors

Details

Michael J. Telch, Ph.D.
From the Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Tex.; the Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas; and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin.
Aleksandra K. Bruchey, Ph.D.
From the Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Tex.; the Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas; and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin.
David Rosenfield, Ph.D.
From the Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Tex.; the Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas; and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin.
Adam R. Cobb, M.A.
From the Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Tex.; the Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas; and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin.
Jasper Smits, Ph.D.
From the Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Tex.; the Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas; and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin.
Sandra Pahl, Ph.D.
From the Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Tex.; the Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas; and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin.
F. Gonzalez-Lima, Ph.D.
From the Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Tex.; the Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas; and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin.

Notes

Address correspondence to Dr. Telch ([email protected]).

Funding Information

NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research10.13039/100000135: R01 MH076847
The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.
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