New studies have come out about a pill that can make a person forget memories. To remember something, your brain synthesizes new proteins to stabilize circuits of neural connections. The way this pill works is, it needs to be taken when the patient is recalling the memory. To delete the memory, researchers would
administer a drug that blocks the protein, PKMzeta and then ask the patient to recall
the event again. This worked by temporarily blocking the protein synthesis in the brain needed to recall a memory. The secret is the timing: If new proteins
couldn’t be created during the act of remembering, then the original
memory ceased to exist. The memory will be deleted, and if done correctly will leave the rest of the brain unaffected. This can be helpful for PTSD patients in helping them forget their traumatic experiences.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89shevn24L8
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I don't think I'd ever not want to remember something I've experienced. Your memories make up a part of who you are as an individual, losing that would essentially create a new person.
ReplyDeleteAccording to cognitive psychology it is more harmful to have a blank memory than a bad one, which is why desensitization is used after a patient retrieves and re-experiences the memory to treat PTSD. I understanding wanting to forget some things in life, but i personally would not one anything erased. I wonder if after someone takes the " forgetting pill" they feel strange.
ReplyDeleteThis is really an interesting concept. In some ways "forgetting" a memory may be beneficial to the person's quality of life. For example, if a person experiences something extremely traumatic in their lives it may affect the outcome of their future (this is obvious). There are some people that can accept what has happened and move on but others may not be able to do the same because they are constantly bogged down by what has happened. If they remain in the bad memory and let it define who they are, they may never experience life in a positive light.
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