Scientists find way to edit memories

Scientists find way to edit memories

www.heraldsun.com.au

US researchers have found a drug-free way to block fearful memories, opening up the possibility of new treatment approaches for problems such as post traumatic stress disorder.

Scientists found that showing people objects that stimulated a fearful memory opened up a specific time window in which the memory could be edited before it was stored again.

"Before memories are stored, there is a period where they are susceptible to being disrupted," Elizabeth Phelps of New York University said.

(visit the link for the full news article)

It's probably more of a catchy title than what they've achieved. Still, it's another step to mind control, in some ways.

Pain in certainly a motivating factor in developing some strong memories. A little pain can be useful, if it serves an educational purpose. I wonder if there's a comparison with children being smacked on the bum for being naughty and remembering that pain, compared to children who were never smacked?

We probably don't have much to worry about until we reach the point where memories can be paid for, similar to Total Recall.

www.heraldsun.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by tezzajw


I agree. I would worry about mind control too, even though I do have some memories that no longer serve me that I wish I could erase. I guess we all do.

This is interesting because scientists aren't even sure HOW we store memories or how we access them.

I've always felt that in the near future there will be a way to "buy" memories. If you want to go to Africa, just but the "Africa Holiday" memory and you can look back at the fun times you had in Africa while never actually going.

Or you can buy memories of doing skillful activities, therefore making the activity a lot easier because your brain looks back and thinks it has done the activity successfully before.

Yeah, keep an eye on the guys going for jobs at that facility.

Scarecrow-tastic.

I'll stick to eating chillies for now.

Nice find - S+F

-m0r

Yay, very awesome article, I actually read about this earlier today, I'm a student at NYU majoring in Neuroscience so I hear about this kind of work done in the Psych/Neuro department all the time. Really amazing stuff.

It does seem like the initial steps to mind control or other ways of manipulating the brain, but there is so much we still don't know about the brain, especially in this field. Memory is probably the one topic of study concerning the brain that is least understood as far as localization, memory formation, forgetting, etc.

Interesting video on mind control

I tend to think mind control has been around for a while, and doubt this technology will really contribute to it that much.

Although I do think it's a good start towards 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' territory - where do I sign up?!

ghost in the shell anyone?
....

reply to post by B.Morrison


Stand Alone Complex

Yeah I wonder how far this will go.

to the point where even our memories can be hacked and forged?

This gives you a better idea of how this works
www.nature.com...
www.nature.com...
It is just the original article that the op's was based off of.

reply to post by Nventual


That'd be awesome, think of learning something at uni that would take 6 years.. Buy the memory, take a test and you're qualified.

Oh how I'd love that.

Something about this idea reminds me of so called "alien abduction" reports and fun things like missing time. The connection with PTSD is a good one too.

reply to post by tezzajw


Nice find tezzajw,
welcome to Total Recall re-enactment in real life.

So when do I get to hand over my credits to Recall for some hot three-titty martian hooker action?

Originally posted by zaiger
This gives you a better idea of how this works
www.nature.com...
www.nature.com...
It is just the original article that the op's was based off of.

OK I see it now. This one doesn't erase memory but erases response associated with a specific stimulus. More accurately emotional response. In the case of the article it's fear, but you can do it with pretty much any feeling by implanting a new feeling (response) to any stimulus (memory re-jigging). The same way you can easily implant new love or hate when you see a banker or an Arab or a car, or hear word global warming, or communist, or sceptic, whatever. And all this can potentially done from the convenience of our sofas through the telly. nice
Various groups probably do it to us on regular basis, feeding different responses - no wonder we’re all so confused