New Drug Deletes Bad Memories (hello new date rape drug!)

Live Science ^ | 02 July 2007 09:24 am ET | Bill Christensen

[james500]

Do you have a really bad memory, or past heartache, that you would prefer to forget?

Researchers at Harvard and McGill University (in Montreal) are working on an amnesia drug that blocks or deletes bad memories. The technique seems to allow psychiatrists to disrupt the biochemical pathways that allow a memory to be recalled.

In a new study, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, the drug propranolol is used along with therapy to "dampen" memories of trauma victims. They treated 19 accident or rape victims for ten days, during which the patients were asked to describe their memories of the traumatic event that had happened 10 years earlier. Some patients were given the drug, which is also used to treat amnesia, while others were given a placebo.

A week later, they found that patients given the drug showed fewer signs of stress when recalling their trauma.

Similar research led by Professor Joseph LeDoux has been carried out at New York University on rats; scientists were able to remove a specific memory from the brains of rats while leaving the rest of the animals' memories intact. An amnesia drug called U0126 was administered.

[LilAngel]

Some memories are just too horrific. Memory loss, though frustrating, is a small price to pay.

I don’t think this treatment should be used to erase memories that are merely bad. Those memories can and should be coped with.

The prospect of being able to erase crippling memories of horrific events is a good thing. I’m fortunate enough to have partial memory loss; enough to be able to cope. The memory loss is often a big hindrance in my life, but it’s more of a blessing than a curse. I highly recommend it.

[aruanan]

Do you have a really bad memory, or past heartache, that you would prefer to forget?

Marge: I grew up with Malibu Stacy and I turned out alright. Now let's forget about our troubles with a big bowl of strawberry ice cream!

[dc27]

I saw the same show. The theory was the spike in adrenalin during the event, such as war or rape, caused the memory to be hard wired to the brain.

[Larry Lucido]

“Next Blind Date Drug”

The question is, would you rather date the blind or the deaf?

[krb]

Dude, you obviously have a chip on your shoulder regarding PTSD. I didn’t claim to be an expert, at least not to the same degree you are passing yourself off as one. You appear to have read a book and now have some high horse to ride around on.

All I was pointing out is that this thread’s story is not painting the correct picture of the drug if it leads people to think that it is a potential date-rape drug (read the early posts).

[bray]

Will it make me forget the co-clinton years??

Pray for W and Our Troops

[Rudder]

Marge, I forgot.

[Grizzled Bear]

You appear to have read a book and now have some high horse to ride around on.

---

Please go back and read my post. When you read my post you will notice I mentioned that I know people who went through what your tv show described. I’ve also been deployed to a war zone and experienced a rocket attack. It only happened to me once and, fortunately, no one was injured. Yes, I know I was damned lucky! I guess if I saw a television show I would be more qualified to have an opinion on the matter.

The truth is there are some who are really broken by their experiences and I pray for their healing. However there are some who use PTSD like a welfare queen uses public assistance.

I highly recommend “Stolen Valor” for anyone who loves and respects our nations heroes.

I hope this clears up what I was trying to say. If not; please take that “high horse” and the chip you are trying to put on my shoulder and insert them both where the good Lord split you.

[Sue Perkick]

Inderal?

[mak1]

Actually propranolol would not make a person forget anything. It has been a widely used blood pressure drug for decades. It has little or no effect on cognition and as a sedative the most it is used for is maybe help people with performance anxiety for public speaking (as will any placebo). For trauma, all it does (in theory) is block the adrenergic surge in the few hours following a trauma that may mean the difference between forming a vivid memory and developing full blown posttraumatic stress disorder. So a rapist who would be stupid enough to give his victim propranolol would have an angry victim with a clear memory of the event, but one who (in theory) would not panic at the sight, sound or smell or anything that brings back the memory of the trauma. Such a victim would probably be a lot MORE likely to press charges and testify, than one is too terrified to even think about what happened.