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Scientists Erase Specific Memories In Mice

Posted by samzenpus on 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."

5 of 320 comments (clear)

  1. Everlasting Sunlight of the Spot-Free Brain by Drakkenmensch · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How long until ethically underfunded governments decided to "offer relief" from "dangerous memories" to their political detractors? Happy shiny people, indeed.

    1. Re:Everlasting Sunlight of the Spot-Free Brain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Part of what makes war a "last resort" option is the horror that it causes. If we removed the pain of war, perhaps it would become far to easy to wage it.

      Unfortunately, this has already happened. There was a time when the leaders didn't "send" soldiers off to war, they "led" them. Today, no leader will ever see a battlefield, so the pain and horror of war no longer deters leaders from starting wars.

      War hasn't been a "last resort" for a very long time. All too often it's the first resort.

  2. erase undesirable memories by cosmocain · · Score: 5, Insightful

    [...]erase undesirable memories[...]

    undesirable for whom? While this might positively applicaple for e.g. victims of rape there are tons of possible missuses which really should be feared.

  3. Re:Goatse by cosmocain · · Score: 5, Insightful

    All memory of Goatse could be erased! That has to count for SOMETHING.

    Jup. It does.

    Being shocked by goatse the same amount as if seeing it for the first time. Great. Hooray.

  4. Self-amputation? by Big+Nemo+'60 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Maybe I am just grouchy but...

    Even for traumatic memories, I would choose healing and closure over forgetfulness anytime. I may like it or not, but I am the sum of all the things I experienced, and I am not looking forward to self-amputation.

    On the other hand, I understand that achieving healing and closure is a very inefficient process - just being able to erase unpleasant experiences would probably set us free to pursue more worthy achievements, like making the current global economic breakdown ever worse...

    Again, sorry for ranting.

    --
    In the long run we are all dead. - John Maynard Keynes (1883 - 1946)