ACUTE PHARMACOLOGIC AUGMENTATION OF PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH ENHANCERS OF LEARNING OR CONDITIONING

摘要

Methods and compositions for treating an individual with a psychiatric order with a pharmacologic agent that enhances learning or conditioning in combination with a session of psychotherapy are provided. The methods of the invention encompass a variety of methods of psychotherapy, including exposure-based psychotherapy, cognitive psychotherapy, and psychodynamically oriented psychotherapy, and psychiatric orders including fear and anxiety disorders, addictive disorders including substance-abuse disorders, and mood disorders. The pharmacologic agents used for the methods of the present invention are ones that generally enhance learning or conditioning, including those that increase the level of norepinephrine in the brain, those that increase the level of acetylcholine in the brain, and those that enhance N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor transmission in the brain. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising pharmacologic agents of the invention in a sustained-release matrix are also provided.