Force to remember in one, in the other delete memories

2013/09/12 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Anatomia/Fisiologia

For the first time they have managed to create long-term memories, directly influencing the brain. The experiment was conducted at the University of California Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, using rats.

In fact, the researchers made rats hear a tone (3.66 kHz) and at the same time excited the basal core. Its objective was to release a molecule, acetylcholine, related to the creation of memories, to increase the number of cells responsible for storing them.

The next day it was found that the procedure used on the eve was effective, making rats hear different tones and seeing that rats are accelerated breathing with a tone of 3.66 KHz. That is, they knew that tone, as with memories that arise from repeated listening.

The study has been published in the journal Neuroscience and the authors have stated that they hope it will help those who have alterations in learning and memory.

Other researchers have done the opposite: they have managed to eliminate concrete memories. Specifically, mice and rats have removed their memories of drug addiction at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida.

According to the researchers, memories related to addictions make treatment difficult, as these memories reinforce adhesion. For example, people who want to quit smoking feel like smoking when they go to places where they smoke or live similar situations. In this sense, therefore, for those who want to quit smoking, it would be beneficial to remove those memories.

Scripps researchers have not worked with tobacco, but with methamphetamine. It is explained that among the processes that occur in the formation of memories there are changes in the cellular structure through protein actin. With an inhibitor they have avoided polymerizing actin and that these changes occur. And so they have shown that animals lose interest in the signs that previously linked them to methamphetamine. The experiment has been published in the journal Biological psychamey.