Could someone actually erase your memories?
First, let’s look at what a memory is, and
how these things form.
At the most basic level, memories form when
proteins cause our brain cells to form new
synaptic connections between neurons.
The emphasis here is on connections, rather
than a single spot.
So a recollection isn’t stored in one specific
cell of your brain.
Instead, it’s tangled up in these various
connections between these neurons.
And, despite how static they may feel, memories
are not stable.
Sure, you can revisit your first day at a
job, or school, or the time you the love of
your life.
But every time you do, that memory becomes
malleable again, resetting more vividly than
before.
Each time you remember something, your brain
has to “resave” some version of that memory.
It’s like you’re taking a piece of hard
chocolate out of a refrigerator and holding
it in a warm room, or with your warm hands.
When you put it back in the fridge, it’s
changed, even if just a bit, from exposure.
This is known as ‘reconsolidation.’
And the more often you revisit a memory, the
more it changes.
Your brain reassesses its connections, literally
rewiring itself.
So, let’s say, for example, that you have
an unpleasant memory.
Maybe you were bit by a spider during your
childhood.
And every time you remembered this spider
bite, you also remembered the pain and fear
of the experience, strengthening that connection
in your mind.
Eventually, just thinking of spiders in general
could leave you terrified and quaking in fear.
But don’t feel doomed just yet.
It’s possible to tilt the scales during
every single act of recollection.
Numerous studies indicate that using a drug
called propranolol to block your body’s
norepinephrine can ‘dampen’ traumatic
memories, leaving the details while removing
the overwhelming emotional associations.
One particularly fascinating study found that
injecting mice with this substance could break
their fearful associations between musical
tones and subsequent shocks.
Norepinephrine, by the way is a chemical involved
in the “flight or fight” response that
people get.
This line of research isn’t quite capable
of creating the sci-fi amnesia we see in films
like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,”
but it could be an invaluable treatment for
trauma survivors.
This leads us to several wide-reaching implications
– some of which are disturbing.
First, scientists do believe it’s possible,
with the right combination of drugs and treatment,
to target and erase specific memories.
The primary obstacle, so far, seems to be
ethical rather than procedural.
Second, healthy people may try to take these
treatments simply because they want to erase
something.
And one last thing: there’s a reason our
memories exists.
As painful as some recollections may be, they
can also function as tools of survival.
To paraphrase the old saying: what’s the
point of forgetting the past if it means you’re
doomed to repeat it?
Thanks for watching!
And hey, here's a question: if you could erase
a memory with an injection, would you do it?
How do you think this technology will be used
in the future?
Let me know in the comments and remember:
stay tuned for more BrainStuff.
