13248 Scientists have learned how to erase people's memories

Scientists have learned how to erase people’s memories



Ученые научились стирать воспоминания

In life almost every person can be stressful, a long time will surpass even the disturbing memory and even causing some illnesses requiring referral to a specialist. Investigating this and engaged us scientists from two universities (Columbia and McGill). They found 2 different types of memory that can be impacted.

The object of research became the marine snail Аplysia, more precisely, their neurons. Scientists have set a goal to find out why memories of the past bad experience is cause for concern and in the future.

The experiment showed that neurons are able to maintain long term memories by strengthening the synapses, which play the role of a chemical bridges. When the body is in a situation in which he was harmed (for example, a burn from touching something hot), then this experience is encoded in associative memory, and strengthening the connections between neurons.

Sometimes the situation is complicated by the emergence of specific “beacons”: for example, at the moment when a man accidentally burned, he heard a dog barking, and then in his memory the traumatic memory of the burn will remain along with a barking dog (remember reflex, outdoor Pavlov?). Moreover, in the future, hearing the barking of a dog, a person may experience inexplicable fear, is not associated with a precipitating event.

Member of the research team Samuel Sacher gives an example: a man goes at night in the dark area, where high levels of crime; naturally, he is nervous and afraid of every rustle. He passes by the mailbox, absolutely safe, and without incident comes to its goal. However, in the future of any mailbox may cause him an underlying feeling of anxiety.

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Random memories, causing concern as it seems to us, inexplicable reasons, may subsequently become stronger amid the stress and, ultimately, have a negative impact on the psychological state of a person. But the problem is that our body is like a “recorded” experienced negative emotions, and as “ink” for such a record was proteins.

According to Sacher, one of the tasks that has set itself the researchers, is the deliverance of man from such memories and associations due to the elimination of such records in nonassociative memory. Thus, it will be possible to conduct a “clean brain” of negative memories, while not causing damage to associative memory, a person this will give you the opportunity to get rid of unexplained fears, to live a full life, freely make decisions and not think about the bad.

In the experiment with a snail a few of her sensory neurons connected to the neuron, and the stimulation of single sensory neurons were robust model of associative memory and the other nonassociative memory. Experience has shown that the degree of strength of connections at both synapses is caused by two different types of protein kinata, M I and M Apl Apl III. Depending on which of the proteins are blocked, there is a “etching” of one of the types of memory.

It would seem, what relation has this experience snails to people? However, in mammals, triggers the same mechanism, so the experiment may have far-reaching consequences – can be a drugs that blur a certain kind of memory, for example, traumatic incidents. However, while such drugs will be created, while conduct their clinical trials, yet they will bring to the market, it will take at least 10 years. So we will wait.

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