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Scientists Erase Specific Memories in Mice
Alan Mozes
HealthDay
Friday, Oct 24, 2008
It sounds like science fiction, by scientists say it might one day be possible to erase undesirable memories from the brain, selectively and safely.
Using a complex genetic approach, U.S. and Chinese researchers believe they have done just that in mice, but the feat is far from being tested on humans.
Study co-author Joe Z. Tsien, co-director of the Brain & Behavior Discovery Institute at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, says the “work reveals a molecular mechanism of how [memory deletion] can be done quickly and without doing damage to brain cells.”
The finding is published in the Oct. 23 issue of Neuron.
(Article continues below)
Humans plagued by painful memories have long wished for a way to eject them from the brain. The concept was the premise of the popular 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, in which two former lovers pay a “memory-erasure” service to expunge the unhappy affair from their minds.
To explore the possibility of safely carving away bits of memory, the study authors first focused on the activity of a common protein found only in the brain, called CaMKII.
In both mice and people, this enzyme is often referred to as the “memory molecule” because of its key role in facilitating brain cell communication — especially people’s ability to learn and retain information.
To hone in on the specific workings of CaMKII, Tsien and his team first developed a “chemical-genetic method” that enabled them to instantly turn the protein “on” or “off” among mice intentionally bred to overproduce the molecule.
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15 Responses to “Scientists Erase Specific Memories in Mice”
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October 24th, 2008 at 11:18 am
I guess they gonna make us forget 9/11 and how the US Govt’s fingerprints are all over it
October 24th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I’ve read studies about a similar method using drugs immediately after a traumatic experience and it ‘erases’ or ‘weakens’ the memory of the event. This has been used with bombing victims, etc.. Apparently they need to be treated as quickly as possible following the tramatic event.
October 24th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
This study comes out of China, and the Chinese press are refreshingly up-front about its meaning. The Shanghai Daily headline is “Researcher learns to brainwash memories” – telling it like it is.
The scientists involved give it the best spin, naturally, and offer soldiers suffering from post traumatic stress disorder as an example of people who might ultimately benefit from this research, without mentioning the possibility that said soldiers might be made to do despicable things and then have their memories wiped by their superiors.
But I’m being cynical. Since it’s all for our sakes, why shouldn’t WE be bred or genetically modified or medicated to overproduce the CaMKII protein? Our governments love us, right?
October 24th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
More alien tech.I feel sorry for the aliens that will ever crash here in the future talk about lab subjects forever.I feel sorry for us cause there tech seems to be speeding up the extinction process of man.I wonder how many other planets this has happened on.I find it amusin how we like dart animals and fix and tag them to collect info and aliens seem to do the same to us im wondering what does that to the aliens?I wouldnt doubt theres something above them they might not even know to much about like the spirit realm or other dimensions that can interact with ours but the aliens cant see them
I wish they would stop crashing here.
October 24th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
my memory is wiped[like a clean bum]every night when i watch cops and robbers on the tv,and the medias spin on the[truth]…’my mind is like a plastic bag’
October 24th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
gives a whole new meaning to the term “Manchurian candidate”
October 25th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
No, it doesn’t sound like science fiction. It sounds like the shit they have been able to do for ages now.
What did I just say? NeverMIND.
October 25th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Well either this is Science Fiction or it’s just old science!
To my recollection it seems like they have been able to do this EXACT THING with a very specific and totally worthless over the counter paper-drug placebo called “Legal Tender” when it comes to the words “Pledge to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United Sates of America and the Republic for which it stands” with regard to very smart and sophisticated US Presidents and politicians and public servants since the very early 1900’s!!!
What kind of a waste of scientific effort will they think of next, or was this just an attempt to bring down the cost of convenient and profitable forgetfulness to a few cents per word?
October 25th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Just how one can verify, guarantee or warranty the “safety” of such amputations is a question that should no doubt be pruned from our minds first…..
October 26th, 2008 at 12:14 am
This is horrible. !!!.. Whenever you have a traumatic experience, lets say you have a car accident, its normal that later after that whenever you are in a car and its speeding you feel unsafe. Thats because, a part of your brain in a subconscious way asociates de trauma with present time. The only way to cure this kind of traumas, is for you to actually remember everything that happend during the car accident and being able to confront it. !! …. if you where for example to never remember you had a car accident. !! this will make you feel unsafe whenever you are in a car. !!!! without even knowing WHY ????……………. this is definitly AGAINST YOU. !! AND WILL NOT HELP YOU AT ALL. !!!
October 26th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Bush must be using this method for himself. Concidering the blood of millions is on his hands and he shows absolutly no remorse for his EVIL actions.
October 26th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
CaMKII???….MK as in, maybe….MK ultra? hmmm…chemical brainwashing.
Yeah, wouldn’t it be convenient to erase memories. As Alex always points out…they always come out with these new discoveries like it is going to be beneficial to man kind. As in for traumatic events and such…blah blah blah…but it always ends up being used for more sinister motives.
They know that people are onto all of the aluminum filled, aspartame type crap that causes memory loss and people now avoid those chemicals…so now they have to come up with another approach like this. It is a constant barrage against us, against life, in general.
October 26th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Next thing ya know that will be their next “Vaccination” Boy our country is gone to hell. Our own goverment is killing us!!! We are all terrorist! yeah, THIS GOVERNMENT IS A TERRORIST!!!!!!!!!!!
October 26th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Mice are dishonest creatures – I reckon they might just have been making themselves out to be feckless in order to get sympathy.
October 26th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
This brain THEORY crap is just that. Did you know that if you could have an entire mental image picture in just one brain cell,you would have enough brain cells for about 3 months. Hmmmmmmmmmm.