Meapz4Science News!

     Hello everyone, and welcome to another Meapz4Science News! Today we will talk about something you normally hear about in movies. Ever heard of brainwashing? That is what we will talk about today, or at least erasing memories. Before we start, This article was written by Stephen Ornes, and the source of the article will be linked at the end of the post. Alright, let's get started!



     Alright, we all know the brain stores memories, both good and bad. But we also forget memories. A new study has shown that a small electrical shock to the brain can erase upsetting memories of a bad event shortly after recalling it. The study is just the first step to proving that memories are "plastic" so to say. This means they can be changed and sometimes even erased altogether. These findings could lead to new treatments for people who suffer from mental diseases such as severe anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. Such treatments may be able to target severely disturbing memories and help patients forget them.

 

     To test this theory, 42 people were tested. All of them had severe depression. They were told 2 upsetting, or depressing, stories, and each stories had pictures to go with it. One of the stories was about a boy who got hit by a car, and the other was about a woman who got attacked in an alley. So...sad!! Then, one week later, the testing would begin.

     One week later, they were shown a picture from only one of the events. The scientists asked the test subjects questions about it, forcing them to recall the sad memories.
Neuroscientists have found evidence that recalling a story in such a way can make memories about it vulnerable to change. And that’s precisely what the researchers attempted to do. They looked to change that recalled memory using a method called ECT, which delivers an electric shock to the brain.

     Immediately after remembering the details, The test subjects were put to sleep. While they were asleep, the doctors gave only some of the patients and ECT shock. One day later, each patient had to take a multiple choice test. They had to remember details about both upsetting stories.

     Patients who weren't given ECT remembered both stories fairly well. Patients whose brains were zapped as part of the treatment remembered details of only one story well. It was the one they weren't told to recall just before the treatment. The scientists found that details of the story the patients had been thinking about before ECT were recalled poorly. In fact, the patients scored no better on remembering these details than if they had simply guessed the answers.

     Well, that's all the news for today!  Personally, this story is a very interesting one. This new treatment could help people to deal with stuff like loss or severe depression. Anyways, I'm Emma The Meap, and I will see you next time. PEACE!!!

Want to see my source article? Click here to check it out!