Posted on 08/28/2014 10:14:21 AM PDT by Red Badger
Bad memories could be reversed after scientists discovered the part of the brain which links emotions to past events
Bad memories of past trauma can leave people emotionally scarred for life.
But now neuroscientists believe they can erase feelings of fear or anxiety attached to stressful events, in a breakthrough which could help treat depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Researchers at MIT, US, have discovered which brain circuits attach emotions to memories, and crucially, how to reverse the link.
They managed to ‘switch off’ feelings of fear in mice which had been conditioned to feel anxious. It is likely the same technique could be used in humans.
“In our day to day lives we encounter a variety of events and episodes that give positive or negative impact to our emotions,” said Susuma Tonegawa, Professor of Biology and Neuroscience at the Riken-MIT Centre for Neural Circuit Genetics.
“If you are mugged late at night in a dark alley you are terrified and have a strong fear memory and never want to go back to that alley.
“On the other hand if you have a great vacation, say on a Caribbean island, you also remember it for your lifetime and repeatedly recall that memory to enjoy the experience.
“So emotions are intimately associated with memory of past events. And yet the emotional value of the memory is malleable. Recalling a memory is not like playing a tape recorder. Rather it is like a creative process.
“The circuits seem to be very similar between human and mice when it comes to memory formations and the emotions of memories. So a similar technology could be available for humans.”
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Alcohol. (It’s not a secret)
Will it work on erasing this administration?
“...reversing bad memories...”
An official and unbiased recount of the votes would work for ME!
They could erase feelings of resentment from growing up in a pre-1964 racist America? But would the race hustlers LET them?
I would like to erase the Disco Era..................
it would be racist to erase those feelings!
Fear can be a good deterrent to repeating basic stupidity such as walking alone at night in a bad neighborhood.
what could possibly go wrong w/ this idea?
Happy days are here again.
....or voting for Democrats..................
If they can erase memories, the logical next step is to IMPLANT memories....................
And I see in the future, our benevolent governmental leaders using this to control the masses. If we had a moral government I wouldn’t even think this. But we are long down the path of corruption and sickness.
Where’s Fonzie.......................
all you need is one of them ‘flashy things’ from men in black
What administration would ever abuse such a power?
What could possibly go wrong?
I'm from the government and I'm here to help.................
erasing abuse memories
what about people who actually want that?
Stupid idea-those “bad memories” are part of the process of learning not to do the thing that produced the traumatic experience again...
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