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Drug Selectively Removes Rats' Memory

Posted by Hemos on from the there-is-nothing-to-see-here dept.

rednuhter writes "Nature online is reporting scientists have used drugs to selectively remove one memory while not affecting another. Musical tones were played to the rats and at the same time the subjects were given a mild electric shock. Half the study group were given the drug (not approved for use in humans) and then the experiment was repeated with a new tone. The following day the rats that had not been given the treatment were afraid of both tones while the treated half were only afraid of the second tone: the memory of fear of the first had been erased."

1 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. Re:did it really "erase" memory? by JRaven · · Score: 3, Informative

    the rats didn't fear the note they heard while drugged The rats didn't hear anything while drugged. The experiment goes
    1. The rats hear tone 1 and suffer pain.
    2. The rats are (or are not) given a drug.
    3. Time passes...
    4. The rats hear tone 2 and suffer pain.
    The rats that are drugged then have no association of pain with the FIRST tone. So even if you think the drug was around to affect them for the second tone, that's not the tone that's "forgotten" -- both sets of rats have fears with the second tone.

    The whole point is that the drug removes the association with the first tone AFTER the fact.