Erasing your bad memory

Erasing your bad memory

It sounds like something you only find in the science fiction, right? Well, not any more. According to Journal called Scientific American MIND (2006), scientists now have a better understanding of how the memory is encoded in our brain. And, they want to apply this knowledge to do exactly the opposite-to erase the memory.

According to the article, we do not hold our memory in neurons, instead we hold our memory in the synapses which are connections between the neurons. As you learn new stuff, new synapses are formed in your brain. So as you read my blog, new synapses are forming in your brain at this moment right now! Amazing? If scientists can find a way to prevent new synapses from forming, they can prevent new memory from forming. As you may have guessed, they have to do it immediately after the event they intend to erase because new synapses are strengthened during that period.

In 2002, a small-scale experiment tested this theory were done in Harvard Medical School by Roger K. Pitman. Immediately after a traumatic experience, some patients were treated with propranolol, a drug that will help to prevent synapses from forming. As it turns out, the drug works pretty well. Three mouths after a traumatic experience, the patients who were treated with this drug are less likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder than those who were not.

Scientists are also trying to find a way to erase the existing bad memory. It is such a exciting news, right? Well, I don't know. I mean we are who we are today because of our past. If we erase a part of our memory, we won't be the same any more. Will I still be Jim if a part of my memory is erased? I really doubt it.

But for those who couldn't possibly overcome their past traumatic experience, it might be the better solution when comparing to a life-long treatment of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medicines.

Note: I still remember a true story that I read many years ago. I just couldn't erase it from my memory. It is about a beautiful and smart junior high school girl whose life got totally destroyed by one of her classmate. I will refer this classmate as "B" from now on.

On one rainy day, our victim saw "B" didn't have umbrella and offered to help. "B" lied to our victim and took her to a warehouse where many gangsters were waiting. Of course, "B" told those gangsters that she would bring our victim to this warehouse beforehand and that is why those gangsters are waiting. Then, all of those gangsters raped our victim while "B" was standing by and watching. Police asked "B" why she did it, "B" said, "because our victim was not only the prettiest girl in the class, but also the smartest." In other words, B's uncontrolled jealousy drove her to do a sick and evil thing as such.

As far as I know, our victim's life just totally changed after this traumatic event. She started to have a lot of psychotic symptoms. She would curse at strangers walking on the street if they look like one of those gangsters who raped her. She couldn't study in the junior high school any more and had to drop out of school. Her parents being very supportive of her took her to other country and hoped that changing a environment would help to ease her pain, but all their efforts failed.

This is one of the most terrified and outrageous story I have ever read in Taiwan. In fact, I couldn't sleep very well on the night I first read this story. I just kept thinking about the story.

Many years has passed since I first read that story, I bumped into this article called "Erasing Your Bad Memory." The first thing I could think of was our victim. I thought to myself, "Finally, there is a hope!"