Originally developed for tuberculosis, the drug D-Cycloserine has been found by University of Minnesota researchers to help people with obsessive-compulsive disorder make more progress in therapy sessions.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions) (i.e. handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning).

The drug, D-Cycloserine, is believed to help accelerate "extinction learning." On a basic level, people associate positive or negative feelings with various cues from the external world. Behavioral therapy attempts to help the person disassociate problematic reactions that are either positive (e.g., craving to use an addictive substance) or negative (e.g., fear of some catastrophic outcome) from the cues that trigger these feelings.

According to lead researcher Matt Kushner, Ph.D., the said findings offer another therapeutic approach where an attempt to manipulate the memory process and the brain's reward/punishment system can be done so that people can learn healthier responses to various cues.

The study findings have been published in the online edition of Biological Psychiatry, and will appear in an upcoming print edition.

D-cycloserine is sold by Eli Lilly under the brand name Seromycin.

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