New study reveals potential means of erasing unwanted memories

US researchers have uncovered a potential means of selectively erasing memories, a process that could offer a number of therapeutic applications.

A team from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a way of  erasing dangerous drug-associated memories in mice and rats without affecting other more benign memories.

They inhibited actin polymerisation by blocking a molecular motor called myosin II in the brains of the test subjects during the maintenance phase of methamphetamine-related memory formation, causing them to persistently lose memories associated with methamphetamine.

It is thought that this technique could be helpful to drug users whose addiction-related memories are impairing their recovery.

The research could also be useful to sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder, the potentially serious anxiety problem that affects up to 30 percent of people who experience a traumatic event.

Courtney Miller, a TSRI assistant professor, said: "We're looking for strategies to selectively eliminate evidence of past experiences related to drug abuse or a traumatic event. Our study shows we can do just that in mice."