People suffering from phobia may now have the chance to have their fears erased -- and all it takes is a couple of minutes.
Researchers from the University of Amsterdam were able to instantly lessen the fear of spiders by giving the study participants pharmacological treatment following a two-minute exposure to the arachnids. Their study was based on the idea of "reconsolidation" introduced by Joseph LeDoux.
LeDoux found out 15 years ago that memories can either be strengthened or weakened. He led a research in which a fearful memory, when activated, was erased by giving a particular drug. However, this idea has only been successfully demonstrated in animals and selected healthy study participants.
In the present study, 45 people who had fear of spiders were chosen to participate. The participants were briefly exposed to a tarantula. After this, some of them were randomly administered with propranolol, which is a beta blocker used in the treatment of high blood pressure. Others were given a placebo.
The participants who were given propranolol showed less avoidance behavior when exposed to spiders. They also displayed more willingness to come near spiders. This change in behavior lasted for a year.
"Here we show for the first time that an amnesic drug given in conjunction with memory reactivation transformed avoidance behavior to approach behavior in people with a real-life spider fear," study author Merel Kindt said in a press release. "The new treatment is more like surgery than therapy."
Kindt noted that while anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders are often treated through multiple sessions coupled with daily drug administration, the method proposed in their study "involves one single, brief intervention that leads to a sudden, substantial and lasting loss of fear."
Further studies are needed to test the treatment on bigger population samples and more severe phobias, the study authors said.
The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry.
