Evidence for drug effects on aversive memory varied in strength across memory stages
A systematic review found uneven evidence from experiments in healthy people, with many compounds tested only once.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Propranolol had the clearest evidence of an effect on reconsolidation, one of the memory stages reviewed. Evidence for several other drug-and-stage combinations was weaker, and many findings lacked replication. The abstract does not specify the direction or size of the propranolol effect, so it cannot establish whether aversive memories were weakened or strengthened.
These experiments involved healthy people. The abstract does not provide comparator details, effect estimates or clinical outcomes, which prevents conclusions about treating distressing memories in patients.
Memory stage matters
The authors organized findings by drug target, memory model and memory stage. This means an effect at one stage should not be read as evidence that a drug changes all aspects of aversive memory.
Replication remained a gap
Many compounds appeared in only a single study, and some significant findings had no published replication attempts. Such results remain uncertain because the abstract does not show whether independent studies would find similar effects.
The original publication
A systematic review of pharmacological effects on human aversive memory.
Xia Y, Quednow BB, Bach DR
Neurosci Biobehav Rev · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41513054
- Record checked
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