Researchers Wipe Memories From Mouse Brains

Oct 26, 2008 0750 hrs IST

Soon, we shall all enjoy the Eternal Sunshine

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Got a painful memory you want to get rid of? Joe Tsien, a neurobiologist at the Medical College of Georgia can help. He's been studying a protein called alpha-CaM kinase II, which plays an important role in recalling your memories. A few years ago, he created mice whose sensitivity to the protein he could control, and then started playing with them

He started with the classic Pavlovian conditioning--he placed the mice in a chamber where they first heard a tone, and then got a shock. In time, the mice would get nervous on hearing the tone.

A month later, he stuck the mice in a different chamber, increased their sensitivity to the protein and played the tone. Nothing. In the original shock chamber, however, the mice were cowering again. Clearly, Tsien had succeeded in deleting the part of the mice's memories that associated the tone with Doom.

Eventually ,this could be tried on humans as well. The intent is not to make you forget past lovers, it's to help people get over their phobias. Of past lovers.



Source: Technology Review



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Thats the dumbest thing i've ever heard

by Daniel, Ft. Worrth, on Oct 26, 2008 08:53 AM, Report abuse   Reply

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