Forget! Forget! Can we some day erase memories?

William Atkins
Saturday, 27 December 2008 17:51

Science - Biology

Researchers in the United States and the Czech Republic have found that the long-term memory-preserving molecule PKMzeta may be one day modified to erase painful memories or unwanted addictions or other psychological problems.



In the abstract to their paper, the authors state, “How long-term memories are stored is a fundamental question in neuroscience.”

They said that they have discovered the “first molecular mechanism of long-term memory storage.”

The researchers summarized their research in the December 2008 issue of PLoS Biology journal under the article name “"PKMzeta Maintains Spatial, Instrumental, and Classically Conditioned Long-Term Memories.”

Protein kinase Mzeta (PKMzeta) is an enzyme, which is a type of “autonomously active atypical protein kinase C (PKC) isoform.”

The researchers state that it is “critical for the maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP). However, they add that the “general form of information the kinase encodes in the brain is unknown.”

The researchers found that injecting an inhibitor to PKMzeta into the brain can be used to remove memories within the hippocampus (the part of the brain that is used for storing special information) while still maintaining the normal functioning of the brain.

The researchers writing the paper based on this research are Andre A. Fenton, Todd C. Sacktor, and Peter Serrano, all of the State University of New York (SUNY, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.), and other research associates from Czech Republic and the United States (specifically, Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin).

Fenton said, "The work published in PLoS reveals that PKMzeta is a general storage mechanism for different types of memory content but, fortunately, that PKMzeta stores only high-quality memories, the kind that provide detailed information rather than general abilities." [ScienceDaily.com” “Spotless Mind? Unwanted Memories Might Be Erasable Without Harming Other Brain Functions”]

He added, "If further work confirms this view we can expect to one day see therapies based on PKMzeta memory erasure. Negative memory erasing not only could help people forget painful experiences, but might be useful in treating depression, general anxiety, phobias, post-traumatic stress, and addictions” [ScienceDaily.com]