Induced selective amnesia may one day be possible

Baltimore Sun : Reminiscent of the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, researchers say that someday it may be possible to selectively erase memories. Richard L. Huganir, professor and chair of neuroscience in the John Hopkins School of Medicine, and colleagueswho performed their experiments on mice, the results of which have been published in Science claim that proteins can be removed from the brain’s fear center to erase memories forever. Such therapy could help treat pain or drug abuse, or erase memories for people suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. Critics have raised ethical and practical questions, however. Kate Farinholt, executive director of the mental health support and information group NAMI Maryland, asks, “How do you remove a memory without removing a whole part of someone’s life, and is it best to do that, considering that people grow and learn from their experiences.”