D-cycloserine強化恐懼症之暴露療法

恐懼症（phobia）是常見的焦慮疾患之一，有較明確的誘發因子及制約歷程，因此適合以暴露療法進行治療。D-cycloserine（DCS）是一種N-methyl-D-aspartate 受體的部分致效劑（partial agonist），近年的研究發現，在進行暴露療法（exposure therapy）前給予受試者口服DCS（50 或500 毫克），有助於治療恐懼症，其效果為加強及延長暴露療法的療效。本文探討DCS 之行為藥理作用及其合併應用於心理治療之效果與應注意之事項。

Phobias are common subtypes of anxiety disorders. Exposure therapy has frequently been used to treat phobias, because some forms of phobias have specific precipitating factors and conditioning processes. Recent studies have found that pretreatment with D-cycloserine(DCS), a partial agonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, at the dosage of 50 or 500 mg, facilitates and prolongs the effects of exposure therapy on phobias. This paper addresses the behavioral pharmacology of DCS and highlights the factors that should be considered when combining DCS and exposure therapy to treat patients with phobias.