Memories are made of... bliss Scientists discover how to stop you remembering the bad times
SUNDAY MIRROR
SCIENTISTS have found a way to banish bad memories from our brains for ever.
In a major medical breakthrough, they have discovered that while there are millions of cells in the brain, only a handful are linked to “fear or threat” memories.
And in groundbreaking studies on mice, experts at the University of Toronto were able to pinpoint these cells – and delete them.
Crucially, the researchers found they could wipe away single, specific memories while leaving others intact.
The next step will be testing the treatment in people, which could eventually help rape survivors or soldiers suffering from PTSD, for example.
Professor Sheena Josselyn, who led the research, told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston: “These findings offer proof of principle that treatments do not need to affect the entire body or even entire brain.
“Our results indicate that a critical component of a fear or memory may reside in a small portion of neurons and that treatments could be targeted to just these neurons.”
But there could be ethical hurdles in the treatment of people. Some ethicists believe that removing memories deletes a vital part of a person’s identity.
Prof Josselyn said: “There are huge ethical implications. Just because something is possible does not mean that it should be done. Our findings suggest 1. Donald Trump’s surprise election as US president. 2. England’s humiliating exit from the 2016 Euros after losing 2-1 to Iceland (in fact, all tournament failures since 1966). 3. X Factor mogul Simon Cowell’s high-waisted trousers and shirts slashed to the navel. 4. Former BHS boss Sir Philip Green relaxing on board his £100m superyacht after the collapse of the high street chain. 5. Jedward that one day it could be possible to treat people with PTSD by erasing these traumatic memories. In these people, the memories are intrusive and disrupt their everyday lives.
“However, there could be potential downsides, especially when applied to people who would like to get rid of a bad memory, such as a messy break-up.
“We learn from our mistakes. If we erase the memory of our mistakes, what is to keep us from repeating them?”
Separately, the researchers found that as well as erasing bad memories, they could also delete neurons linked to drug addiction.