Psychosocial stress after reactivation of drug-related memory impairs later recall in abstinent heroin addicts.
BACKGROUND
Stress and stress hormone are known to play important roles in modulating different stages of memory including reconsolidation. In a previous study, we found that treatment with stress or corticosterone after a single memory reactivation disrupted reconsolidation of a drug-related memory in rats. Here we presumed that stress after memory reactivation can effectively inhibit drug-related memory by disrupting its reconsolidation in abstinent heroin addicts.


METHODS
In the present study, 21 abstinent heroin addicts learned a word list (containing ten neutral, ten heroin-related negative, and ten heroin-related positive words) on day 1; retrieval of a word list (learned 24 h earlier) was made on day 2; and immediately after retrieval, they were exposed to either a standardized psychosocial laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test) or a control condition in a crossover manner. On day 3, free recall of the word list and other psychological and physical responses were assessed.


RESULTS
The stressor induced a significant increase in salivary free cortisol and a decrease in mood. Memory recall was significantly impaired after the stress condition. Follow-up analysis revealed that heroin-related negative and positive words (i.e., heroin-related words) were affected, whereas no effect was observed for neutral words. No changes were detected for cued recall, working memory, or attention. Stress after drug-related memory retrieval significantly decreased its subsequent recall, likely through impaired drug-related memory reconsolidation process.


CONCLUSIONS
Reconsolidation blockade may thus provide a potential therapeutic strategy for the prevention of relapse in drug addiction.
Zhao
Li-Yan
LY
National Institute on Drug Dependence, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100083, China.
Zhang
Xiao-Li
XL
Shi
Jie
J
Epstein
David H
DH
Lu
Lin
L
D000328:Adult; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult