Traumatic memories can be erased

• April 19, 2024

The victims of traumas and violence could have a solution to their problems in the near future, thanks to the elimination his memories , researchers at the University of John Hopkins.

When removing a protein in the region of brain who is responsible for remembering fear , researchers have managed to permanently eliminate the traumatic memories . The report of the activity experienced in rodents appears on the page of John Hopkins Medicine.

"When a traumatic event , a memory of fear that can last a lifetime and can weaken the person's quality of existence, "said Dr. Richard L. Huganir , director of neurosciences at the School of Medicine of John Hopkins.

The discoveries of the molecular and cellular mechanisms made by the researchers, increase the possibility of manipulating these mechanisms with drugs to improve behavioral therapy in cases like post-traumatic stress syndrome.

The behavioral therapy has proven to be a very useful tool to reduce emotional response in the face of a traumatic memory, however, it does not dissolve it completely and has a high number of relapses, the publication indicates.

The scientists studied the proteins in the nerve cells of the amygdala , responsible for driving fear in mice, and found more of a specific protein. "The idea is to remove these proteins in order to eliminate the brain connections created by the trauma and eliminate that memory "Mentions Hungair.

And although this measure is designed to integrate the behavioral therapy treatment , the possibility of erase memories selectively it could be helpful in people with deep traumas associated with wars, rapes or traumatic events.

Video Medicine: Can You Erase Bad Memories? (April 2024).