Nitrous oxide may interfere with the reconsolidation of drinking memories in hazardous drinkers in a prediction-error-dependent manner.
European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology July 1, 2018 R K Das, K Walsh, J Hannaford et al.
Blocking the reconsolidation of drinking-related reward memories is a potential strategy for treating alcohol use disorders, but few pharmacological options are available for humans. This study tested whether nitrous oxide (N2O), an NMDA receptor antagonist, could reduce drinking by interfering with memory reconsolidation in 60 hazardous drinkers. Participants retrieved alcohol memories either with or without prediction error, or retrieved non-alcohol memories with prediction error, then inhaled 50% N2O for 30 minutes. The manipulation did not reduce drinking as intended based on group assignment. However, when actual experience of prediction error was assessed, N2O reduced drinking in a retrieval- and prediction-error-dependent manner. These preliminary findings highlight the importance of verifying memory reactivation procedures and suggest further investigation of N2O as a reconsolidation-blocking agent.