Erase unwanted memories, which the heroes of the film decided on “In love without memory” may soon become possible. Scientists have identified neurons, in which bad memories are stored and found a method, to get rid of them effectively – informs the letter “Science”. Although so far only mice have been able to erase the memories, scientists are getting closer to developing a similar method for humans, because according to them processes, that go on in our brains are similar. The traumatic experience stimulates the amygdala, which produces large amounts of CREB protein. Scientists have established, that the neurons that produce this protein “they remember fear” and these are the ones you should focus on. So they decided to destroy it and see it, whether bad memories will disappear with them. To check it out, mice were subjected to classical conditioning, in which the unconditional stimulus was an electric shock, and the conditional stimulus the accompanying sound. after such “training” the mice froze, as soon as they heard a sound associated with an unpleasant sensation. The researchers then destroyed CREB-producing neurons in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala. After 2, 5 i 12 Days, turned out, that when they heard the same sound, the mice reacted indifferently, so the anxiety response was eliminated. Researchers assure, that removing bad memories did not affect other memories and the ability to remember and learn. The brains of the mice may also have continued to accumulate other bad memories.
Though many of us would like to shed some memories, scientists are reluctant to apply such a method to humans. “Our brain does not store unpleasant memories for nothing.
If we forget, that we got burned by touching the hot stove plate, we'll probably do it again” – says Dr. Jin- Hee Han, a neurobiologist at the University of Toronto. Dr Han passes, that the positive aspect of such interference may, however, be helping people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
