Erasing Memories

Throughout our lives, we make many memories, some good and others not so pretty. For the ones that we wish we could forget, there may be a way to achieve this. Erasing memories is possible, but you must be willing to go seriously out of your way to achieve your goal. Scientists recently discovered that our memories are not as permanent as we thought. Research on both animals and humans has shown that using drugs like propranolol, a high blood pressure medication, can rewire our brains to the point where we lessen the effects of emotional memories. This research is backed by the discovery that every memory is locked in different connections in your brain. When you form a memory, proteins stimulate specific brain cells to help create new connections. For instance, if bikes scare you, it is because you, or someone close to you, had a bad experience with one. You can take your prescription, but you will only be scared of bikes without defaulting to a bad experience. Research may also suggest that a placebo (usually a sugar pill that the user believes is the real drug) can alter behaviors that may dissipate the psychosomatic effects of a bad memory. Whether you should erase your memories is not a straightforward answer. That problem seems like it belongs to the ethics department.