Relapse prevention by memory erasure

Alcoholism is a chronic relapsing disorder, has severe impacts on society, and is responsible for 4% of death world-wide. By combining animal models and studies with alcoholic patients, this project focuses on preventing alcohol craving and relapse in abstinent subjects, by disrupting alcohol-associated memories that cause relapse to alcohol seeking and drinking.

It is increasingly accepted that memories become labile and erasable soon after their retrieval, during a memory reconsolidation process that depends on protein synthesis. We are looking into the molecular mechanisms that underlie reconsolidation of alcohol-associated memories, with the aim of disrupting the memories and preventing relapse to alcoholism. We are also developing in the lab behavioral treatments that will prevent relapse by disrupting memory reconsolidation.