Scientists Erase Specific Memories In Mice

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday October 22, 2008 @11:57PM from the where's-the-cheese dept.

Ostracus writes "It sounds like science fiction, but scientists say it might one day be possible to erase undesirable memories from the brain, selectively and safely. After exposing mice to emotionally powerful stimuli, such as a mild shock to their paws, the scientists then observed how well or poorly the animals subsequently recalled the particular trauma as their brain's expression of CaMKII was manipulated up and down. When the brain was made to overproduce CaMKII at the exact moment the mouse was prodded to retrieve the traumatic memory, the memory wasn't just blocked, it appeared to be fully erased."

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Re:Everlasting Sunlight of the Spot-Free Brain by Anonymous Coward · 2008-10-23 02:05 · Score: 4, Informative

Ugh. I can't believe that I'm bothered enough to comment on this.
But it's Patrick Star, who is a starfish. Not Patrick Starfish.
Re:Everlasting Sunlight of the Spot-Free Brain by hierophanta · 2008-10-23 06:35 · Score: 3, Informative

and as a follow up -- most air fighters do not get PTSD because the dont see the people they are killing-- just as you said

here is an study [from National Institute of Health] on the factors that cause PTSD http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18226287