Scientists have discovered how to find your bad memories and DELETE them

This could be a good and bad thing.

It is the medical breakthrough which could cheer us up - boffins have found a way to banish bad memories for our brains forever.

In news that will be particularly good for England football fans, experts have developed a way to delete unwanted memories from the brain.

The process mirrors the storyline in the hit movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind although it fails to bring happiness to Jim Carrey’s character.

University of Toronto experts have discovered that although there are millions of brain cells in the brain, only a handful are linked to bad memories.

And in groundbreaking studies on mice, they were able to pinpoint those brain cells associated with “fear or threat” memories - and delete them.

Crucially, the researchers found they could wipe away single, specific memories while leaving other memories intact.

www.mirror.co.uk...

This could be good for things like rape cases, PTSD for war Veterans and people who were molested as children. They also found they could erase drug addiction. This could be very bad in other areas because bad memories are need to catch criminals and control future events so these bad memories won't keep occurring. Just think if a rapist could rape someone then wipe away the memory. It could get crazy but the cat is already out of the bag so we'll see how far this goes.

a reply to: neoholographic

I had meant to post the trailer to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), but didn't post it right and the box doesn't work. I almost changed it, but then realized how perfect!!

a reply to: neoholographic

I see it as a bad thing and the top of a slippery slope , memories are part of what make us and bad memories are included in that , this new technique could be seen as a 21st century lobotomy or the first step to a Men in Black style Neuralizer.

“Just because something is possible, does not mean that it should be done.

a reply to: neoholographic


I NEED my bad memories so as to remind me not to go down that

particular route again, and again, and again.

ALL memory serves a purpose

a reply to: eletheia

Heh!

No doubt!

Look at politics. We as a species seem destined to always just keep repeating the same crap over and over again despite the lifetime of what should end up being lessons learned. With that kind of track record and outlook the idea of it eventually becoming a convenience to 'recycle bin' mistakes is something like out of a dystopian flick.

a reply to: eletheia

At the same time, let's say someone has an issue like anxiety or PTSD. Wouldn't this treatment be of use to them, so that they could move on with their lives? I suffer from anxiety, and to be honest, not having any preconcieved notions of an attack would prevent one from ever happening, right? Would that not be a good thing?

TheBorg

a reply to: gortex

Exactly and they only should give this medicine to people or children who had a very abusive youth so that they maybe not suffer from the consequences coming from that.

Interesting thread.. S&F.

Though I don't understand how they can delete memories - when we still don't know where memories are stored...

a reply to: fluff007

There you've got a point too. Once heard a story that we only receive memories and store them elsewhere.

That's only scientific speculation I think. .

I wish I could be more thoughtful, but I'm exhausted right now. But this was the first thing that popped into my head:



Peace.

Not at all comfortable with someone playing with my brain. Don't these "scientists" have better, more helpful objectives, like cancer?

Say away from my brain. As one observer noted above-sounds like a new lobotomy experiment.

I need my bad memories to remind me to beware of bad future husbands.

There are many songs I would like to have erased.
Ear worms suck.
Waking up with Whitney Houston singing "I Will Always Love You" playing in my head on repeating loop puts me in a grumpy mood.

Ok... Now give us a method to encrypt them!

originally posted by: IgnoranceIsntBlisss
Heh!
No doubt!
Look at politics. We as a species seem destined to always just keep repeating the same crap over and over again despite the lifetime of what should end up being lessons learned. With that kind of track record and outlook the idea of it eventually becoming a convenience to 'recycle bin' mistakes is something like out of a dystopian flick.

We all have choices?

We make choices ALL of the time, and within that come the mistakes we

make, and if we are wise we won't repeat that particular mistake again?

that would be foolish ..... and who wants to be foolish?


Mistakes (IMO) teach us more than never having made them?


In my mind I have a store of short sayings and here I am reminded of one >>>>

*The man who never made a mistake never made anything*


Treasure your errors

originally posted by: TheBorg

At the same time, let's say someone has an issue like anxiety or PTSD. Wouldn't this treatment be of use to them, so that they could move on with their lives? I suffer from anxiety, and to be honest, not having any preconcieved notions of an attack would prevent one from ever happening, right? Would that not be a good thing?

I am not an expert, but my life experiences have taught me that satisfaction

isn't a pill (a quick fix) but that satisfaction comes from working through things

and coming out the other end having spent 'blood sweat and tears' in doing so.


Again this is only MO but if you continuously treat anxiety and PTSD by blanking

it out, you have learnt nothing ..... you are back to square one!


One doesn't learn about or how to deal with life by blanking it out.

originally posted by: fluff007
Interesting thread.. S&F.

Though I don't understand how they can delete memories - when we still don't know where memories are stored...

Derp!!! Memories are are stored in your brain through networks of neurons. To remove memories, you would literally be destroying the flesh that these neural paths take.

It would be impossible to erase a memory of a long relationship without destroying a significant amount of brain matter which would no doubt destroy other memories as well.

You could remove "small memories" though. Like the smell of marshmallows or a childhood telephone number you no longer use.

Understand though, that removing memories means destroying flesh, which puts thoughts and memories clearly in the physical realm. No thoughts or memories are stored outside of your brain.

originally posted by: fluff007
Interesting thread.. S&F.

Though I don't understand how they can delete memories - when we still don't know where memories are stored...

Yeah, I'm calling bs here. They found something with potential, but the rest is spin.

We've got a long way to go before anything like this can consistently replicate the intended effect.

originally posted by: swedy13

originally posted by: fluff007
Interesting thread.. S&F.

Though I don't understand how they can delete memories - when we still don't know where memories are stored...

Yeah, I'm calling bs here. They found something with potential, but the rest is spin.

We've got a long way to go before anything like this can consistently replicate the intended effect.

You are right. It is BS.

originally posted by: 0bserver1

Exactly and they only should give this medicine to people or children who had a very abusive youth so that they maybe not suffer from the consequences coming from that.

Like a needle stuck in a record, I am going to repeat >>>>

*All memories are needed/useful.*


I was one of those children ..... and because of that ^^^^ other

children may have been prevented from the same suffering,

as with the experience I had I was fore armed at what to look out for to

keep them safe!!!