'Eternal Sunshine' therapy could 'wipe' bad memories and replace them with better ones, according to top neuroscientist
Daily Mail••health
Key Points:
- Neuroscientist Professor Steve Ramirez suggests that future techniques could "dial down" traumatic memories in the brain, potentially reducing their emotional impact without erasing the memories themselves.
- Ramirez's research with rodents at Boston University has demonstrated the ability to locate, manipulate, implant false memories, and restore lost memories using light-activated brain cells, indicating similar possibilities for humans.
- Memory is a reconstructive process that changes each time it is recalled, opening avenues for targeted interventions using drugs, cognitive behavioral therapy, or positive cues to alter emotional components of memories.
- These advances could aid in treating addiction by reducing cravings, and hold promise for reclaiming lost memories in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease or amnesia, though extensive research is still needed.
