A Canadian researcher once lauded by Forbes as one of "Ten People Who Could Change the World" is pioneering experiments using a commonly prescribed blood pressure medication to dull the painful memories of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).?? Dr. Karim Nader of Montreal's McGill University is attempting to reduce the emotional response generated by painful memories using the beta blocker propranolol. Propranolol (propranolol hydrochloride) has been on the market for over 40 years, marketed as Inderal or Inderal LA.
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Nader and his team are not attempting to eradicate painful memories, but instead to lessen their emotional impact.?? Years ago, Nader discovered that memory can be altered just by the very act of remembering – a process he dubbed "memory reconsolidation".?? He developed a technique he called "reconsolidation blockade" in which memories and the associated negative emotions are altered during the reconsolidation phase to lessen their unpleasant impact, reducing a traumatic memory to just a bad memory.
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Propranolol's role in the reconsolidation blockade process is to target hormones such as adrenaline that are released during or while reliving a traumatic event.?? "These hormones can actually boost how intensely memories are stored," Nader explains, "So if you can block these hormones you block the boosting, but you're keeping the information intact."?? The blood pressure medication is usually given to patients with angina or high blood pressure because of its ability to block adrenaline.?? Propranolol medication is such an effective adrenaline blocker it can even help counter adrenaline effects such as stage fright and trembling – a quality that led to a ban on its use by Olympic athletes.
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