Dutch scientists have discovered that a family of drugs called “beta blockers” can erase bad memories, including phobias. The discovery is igniting medical ethics debates across Europe, according to the London Mail.
The scientists actually discovered the drugs’ memory-erasing properties while working with patients with heart disease, for whom the beta-blocking drugs are sometimes prescribed. They found that the beta-blockers interfere with how the brain makes and remakes memories of frightening events.
To test the drugs' memory-altering capability, a Dutch medical team created fearful memories in volunteers by showing them pictures of spiders, while also administering electrical shocks. The following day the volunteers were split into two groups: One given the beta-blocker, the other a placebo. Both groups were then shown spider pictures and their fear responses were recorded.
The group given the beta-blocker had a much weaker fear response than the other group. Both groups were tested on the following day ~ two days after the initial fright ~ and the beta-blocker group essentially were without memory of the spiders, while the control group continued to exhibit considerable fear.
Thanks to my friend Ludmil Marcov for alerting me to this article.
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