Memories Are Made Of This….Or Not!
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What Is Propranolol?
Developed by Scottish scientist James W. Black in the 50s, Propranolol is a beta blocker which has been very successfully used to treat hypertension. It is also used in the treatment of angina pectoris, tachycardia, tension headaches and migraine in children. It is still at an experimental stage for use in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder. Musicians and stage performers use it to overcome stage fright.
Locate. Track. Find. Aim. Zap. We’re not talking about enemies, germs or pests here. We’re talking about memories. In a few years from now, if you don’t like a particular memory, you can have it expunged from your brain cells, never to surface again.
Think about the possibilities. Soldiers coming back from war zones can now look forward to a stress free life not haunted by the horrors that war usually brings in its wake. No one need pine for a lover who’s upped and gone anymore. Just say, ‘Out, damn’d spot!’ to that unwanted bit of memory and poof! It’s gone like it never existed at all! The list goes on – erasing memories of loved ones who have left us, forgetting about that awful boss who wiped the floor with us, relegating to oblivion that beautiful classmate who had every male in school panting after her.
It’s happened with mice – and it’s a short road from mice to men. A team of Chinese researchers with Joe Tsien at the helm has been successful in destroying certain memories from pea-sized mouse brains. In the West, Harvard psychiatrist Roger Pitman and McGill neuroscientist Karim Nader have already made progress in reshaping memories in humans. They have identified drugs which, if administered soon after a traumatic event, can change the way it is remembered. The search is now on to find a way to reshape memories years after an event occurs. They’ve been given a grant by the US Department of Defense which is concerned about the state of mental health in soldiers returning from war zones.
How do they zap these memories? When certain memories that are traumatic surface, it was found that a particular enzyme administered in large doses effectively destroyed the memory. However, the side effects of Propranolol have yet to be determined. What both sets of researches are trying to prove is that memories are not written in indelible ink – they can be destroyed, reshaped, reprocessed, manipulated. No, not sci-fi or something in the distant future but very much in the here and the now.
Manipulated? Though on the surface it would seem to be almost a curative procedure, this memory nuking could very well degenerate into memory manipulation. In the hands of the unscrupulous, it could be a tool to rule. Imagine a dictator who could erase all memories of all his crimes – and rule without dissent! Imagine a world where anything you didn’t like was just zapped away without a trace. Would we really be living anymore or merely existing?
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Comments
Doesn't it AEvans? Quite scary!
I can see some benefits for this in some very extreme cases of trauma but no benefit at all in the trivial erasure of memory for what could be considered cosmetic reasons. If we have no bad times to remember how do you recognise and appreciate the good times. I would be more impressed with memory manipulation that actually helped you remember more and the benefits that would bring. Still this is a very thought provoking hub and I was both interested and intrigued by it, so nice piece of work, it did it's job.
I'm not keen on the idea. After all, it might take away my best excuse for having a beer! Interesting hub though.
Shalini - Have you seen the movie Total Recall by Arnold where "A trip to a false memory transplant service for an imaginary trip to Mars goes terribly wrong and another personality surfaces." A lot could go wrong but interesting idea..hehe
In the seventies the Germans attempted to generate a state of high consciousness by means an instrument which injected a set of signals into the system which were designed to neutralize all the elements which were impeding reaching this state. However, they failed and went back to the drawing board.
Constantly thinking about this for many years I got to thinking that their devise was programmed to destroy memory generated by unfavorable actions which gave rise to what some call bad karma. More about that later.
Anyways, I am really exited about the information in this article of yours. I do see a connection indeed.
:)
Gosh...I could do without such brainwashing! Memories, good or bad, are a frame of reference for our present experiences...imagine having nothing to compare them with!
Brian: Thanks for your comments - yes, while it will help in extreme cases, who is to decide what extreme is? I guess there lies the problem!
Paraglider: Add single malts to that and it would quickly go to tragic in my book :) Thanks for reading!
CW: Strange - that was the movie that came to mind when I first read about this!
quicksand: I did read about that somewhere - well, it's here now and I wish it weren't!
FP: Would be very like a vacuum wouldn't it?
Shalini - Men In Black is another movie where they have memory erasers. Nice interesting thought(before you erase this thought of mine)....hehe
Ah yes CW - forgot about the memory erasing part in Men in Black! Well, your post in up in black and white - no hitting delete :)
I'm currently reading a book by Naomi Klein, called the Shock Doctrine, where she goes into detail about CIA experiments that erased memory, and the use of shock for a new way of thinking, its real stuff. Check out the book if you got a chance.
Thanks goldentoad - will try and get my hands on it. Imagine - the future is here!!
Hi Shalini,
This is interesting, though scary stuff! I've worked with one or two clients who have suffered PTSD, and whilst reading your article I began to wonder whether conventional means of dealing with unpleasant memories might indeed be replaced by chemical means, and whether that was a good thing. Hypnosis can really help people with this kind of history, but I've never personally come across anyone deeply traumatised by the horrors of war and so on, who might well benefit from this kind of therapy. I do know that some people suffer from such trauma as a result of bad memories, that their lives become literally a living hell. It's a tough call, but I have to say that the judicious use of such a drug might be a blessing.
Amanda - thanks for stopping by! The operative word I guess is 'judicious' - while it can bring so much solace to people who go through a living mental hell, it can also so easily be misused!
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Why is it that people who lust for and obtain power always seem to have bad intentions?
You can find a PDF of Shock Doctrine at http://www.scribd.com/doc/6419773/The-Shock-Doctri
To download books you just have to set up a free account. It's a great resource. I get most of my reading materials there.
Yes, it is, isn't it - that's the tragic part - look at how the atom bomb started off.
Thanks for the link - I'll check it out!
Shalini, let's hope that whatever they discover will remain illegal to use against anyone who is unwilling to undergo the treatment. Our memories create who we are. With different memories, we are different people.
Aya - thanks for reading. Yes, I do hope so too!
Man proposes, God disposes. Our memories oft choose to re-arrange the unexpurgated version to help us cope.
A lapel badge I once had in the dim dark days beyond recall said "Reality Is A Crutch." Ignoring the banal, many a true word is spoken in, or disguised as, jest. Conversely we often subconsciously edit our memories to soften the hardness of the truth. If because the little buzzy bees in our brains have gone awry and we can no longer compensate the awful realities of existence, psychiatrists, psychologists and single malt whiskey come to the fore, probably with equal success, (or lack of it!)
The chemical tinkering with people's minds has gone on for years.- Self imposed: pot, P, and opium; Medically: various "drugs of the day" (remember Valium and Prozac?) have been used to turn the mentally astute but scrambled into mobile vegetables.
What Shalini has written of is not new, but a progression on a theme. Very scary none the less when your "self" is in the hands of some other human - playing God. Consider though, genetic engineering. If it goes wrong somewhere down the line, some generations on, not just one individual per foul-up will be destroyed, we all may. (How many of us don't consume some product with soy in it ,as an example. - You don't? Read the labels on your canned or bottled purchases.)
We were referred to in a book published in the seventies as "The Lunatic Ape." From memory that was its title, the author was Binsley Lepore Tench, or some such name, although I can't locate either on Google. A fine comparison. What a pity that the more notable lunatics are running the asylum.
Thanks for reading TOF.
The point is, if we choose to scramble our brains,it's our own little problem and ours alone. However, if someone else were to do so, well, that's a huge problem!
Is it 'The Crazy Ape' you're referring to?
Shalini, this is a very interesting subject and a thought provoking hub. An interesting additional fact is that mental institutions commonly used electroshock therapy as a means to try and erase the memories of those who were chronically depressed. Perhaps they did it for other reasons as well, and I'm unsure of when this practice was stopped, but I once knew of someone who actually had this type of "therapy" done to her.
Great hub, Shalini! Have you ever seen the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? The main premise is the two main characters undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories after a break up, but then end up meeting each other again--it is a really well done movie and I highly recommend it--it explores some of the themes brought up in your hub and comments.
Even in extreme cases of abuse or trauma, such as the returning vets you described, I can't imagine that memory erasing would be a healthy procedure, and I agree that it sounds like a slippery slope. It'll be interesting to see how this evolves in time and if it ever becomes the next prozac.
Pam, thanks for stopping by and for becoming a fan :) Oh yes, those were the days of the electroshock treatment - they thought they'd zap people back to normalcy! Maybe some did feel better - who's to judge? However, it has its scary side as well!
Hi Melissa - thanks! That was one movie I missed seeing - I must put it on my to-do list! Yes, it is a slippery slope - when does curing end and control begin? 'Tis a fine line we tread!
I've been thinking about this one further since leaving my comment. How do they know that they can just zap specific memories without affecting other, important memories? Have you come across EMDR? I've known that to be very useful in trauma cases, and it's a non-invasive, patient led therapy. This is the link to the Wikipedia entry:
Hi Shalini. Yes, I got the point, and I agree with it. Mine was/is that this isn't a new concept but a development and possible refinement of a system of treatment that is as old as the hills. Chemical suppression /repression often works, if "works" means preventing the deviant behaviour ("deviant" being deviating from what those giving the treatment think "acceptable"), but at what cost? I have seen friends on chemical treatment, and have had to look long and hard to find their personalities from behind the haze. What gives others the right to tinker with your thoughts, and if there is a need to do so, where do you draw the line?
Current treatment often seems similar to a mechanic fixing the brakes on a car by taking out two spark plugs, letting down the tyres, and then insisting on choosing your destination when you drive.
Electroshock "treatment"? Well, a friend had that too. It had some success, but may have caused long term damage. It was also used as a threat and a punishment, although the mental health services will undoubtedly deny this. "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." tells it like it is - or was, I'm a little out of touch.
Hi Amanda - welcome back :)
I liked that wiki stuff on EMDR - somehow non-invasive treatment just sounds better! Thanks for the link.
TOF - thanks for coming by again!
I do agree with you that the concept isn't new - the witchdoctors of yore very often tried to beat 'deviant behaviour' out of people believing they were possessed, didn't they?
I think you've summed it up just perfectly in the car example :)
Hi Shalini,
An article appeared once in the Readers Digest on an experiment performed by scientists to verify a theory on memory embedding, which I have reviewed in a hub of mine.
It was during this period that I believe a series of experiments performed by German scientists were in focus. Although there was no link between the two, I have been following these events with great interest.
With the basic knowledge thus acquired I believe that picking out single memories from the millions which overlap one another, could possibly pose a threat to certain parts of the programming within our system, especially ones which govern aspects like causing the blood to circulate, the heart to beat, and the metabolism to function ... and so on. I am sure you will also agree with me on this one.
If any single unfavorable memory is identified and destroyed, then, in addition to the possible threat to other programs within the system, this could result in a surge of euphoria I fear.
Anyways, this is a very interesting topic. One could go on on and on and on ...
Thanks for writing this thought provoking hub. :) :) :)
Thanks for reading quicksand - I will go check out your hub. Yes, the repurcussions could be threatening - the body is such a complex mechanism - can we really tamper with it when we don't know so much about it?
This technique is useful for those whose memories are lost but it may lead to abuse like you said. Reminds me of the movie "The Manchurian Candidate" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056218/ .
Hi cgull - thanks for reading. Wow - that movie was made in '62!
I figure that bad memories are natures way of protecting us on a deep level. It is a God thing in my way of thinking. I would just as soon keep mine just in case they figure out that the side affects are worse than the memories down the road. Interesting hub here. C.S.
Funny, I saw a movie short this morning that was spoofing this. While I think being able to remove horrific and traumatizing memories so people don't suffer sounds great, the potential of this scares me. I don't trust it, nor do I feel confident that it will only be used for good. We could end up with a world full of stepford wives.
Yes, the Manchurian Candidate is an oldie but a goodie.
Hi C.S.Alexis - thanks for your comment. Yes, I tend to agree - without the bad times, would we really appreciate the good? And I've found one tends to stray from God when everything's going smoothly - guess that's the human way :)
Shirley - thanks! It's sad but true that what starts off meaning well can so often be misused - therein lies the tragedy!
This is a scary concept--and EXTREMELY interesting to think about...."The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind" mentioned above by Melissa G is an excellent movie, this hub made me think of that too...I'm going to have to watch it again, I think I've forgotten ;-) Just kidding -- Great Hub!
Thanks for stopping by newcapo - yes, that's one movie I really must see - can't think how I missed it!
Wonderful Hub Shalini. Keep it up. I am proud that an Indian is writing such Great Articles.
guidebaba - thanks :)
I agree that the fear associated with procedures of this nature are real and not unjustified. Although a new science may promise tremendous benefits, it is the potential for mis-use that scares the bejesus out of us. It's the old good vs. evil battle. Wariness and fear are good things here, because they impose a sort-of "ethical" framework on a procedure, and possibly even result in laws enforcing that framework. Sometimes the laws are good and sometimes they are bad (there are too many restrictions on stem cell research for example - in my opinion). This framework becomes especially important when "science marches ever onword," whether we want it to or not. Science will not be kept in a cage, but maybe just keeping it in the yard is enough.
Thanks for a great hub!
Thanks for reading Christoph! I love that: "Science will not be kept in a cage, but maybe just keeping it in the yard is enough." I guess that's what we need - freedom, not license to kill!
@ Old Firm. I believe the book your thinking of was The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris.
ColdWarBaby. Thank you, but no not that one, which is much more PC. This propounds the theory that the branch of sapien from which we descended (if you lean towards Darwinism) was cannibal, eating the brains of like or similar species. This lead to brain development at a far more rapid rate than mutation historically indicates; and a skull cavity fighting to keep up. In turn this created cranial pressure leading to the vicious and erratic behaviour that our species is so famous for.
Mind you, looking at some of our more recent leaders patent for erratic, cruel behavior, there should really be plenty of space and no physical pressure. I guess we just have to go figure.
It may be worth bearing in mind that although B.T. Evilpants is harebrained, a lot of his cranial cavity is taken up by the butt end of his horns, and item 3 of his (futile) election campaign states clearly that he has never eaten a HUMAN child. From this the inference is that other children are open game.
Cannibalism rears its ugly head!
Thanks for the comments CWB and TOF.
I think you're referring to 'The Crazy Ape' by Albert Szent Gyorgyi, right?
TOF: You guys are having a blast with that election campaign, aren't you? That limerick had me cracking up :) Gadzooks! Now I must think of something worthy to post there!!!
Hi Shalini Kagal thanks for this thought provoking hub -
re the memory zap "When certain memories that are traumatic surface, it was found that a particular enzyme administered in large doses effectively destroyed the memory" my question is how does the memory zapper know which memories to erase? - So the patient is awake as the process occurs, id's the bad memory and is then filled with the given drug - but what happens to the resident good memories because so many memories overlap, are fleeting, get intermingled - I guess I am saying how can this be process be so finite? say for example you had a traumatic event like a car accident on the same day as a brilliant event such your wedding - does the whole lot get wiped...? something you really wanted to remember - gone...just didn't happen..food for thought and could prove to be somewhat unethical if the wrong hands. and we all get dumber....
Altho the other side of equation is as Amanda says; what if people can be freed from enduring ongoing tortuous thoughts ...
Hi ajcor - thanks for reading. Ahhhh - that's the problem - how can we zap a particular memory and not feel its ripple effect on others? Are we on the road to a dumbed down world? Chilling thought! And yet, it could benefit so many who suffer too!
Many thanks for very interesting Hub. Propanolol is blocking sympathetic nervous system, our "fight or flight" (over)reactions, so adrenal gland cannot produce hormones of stress. It is affecting blood circulation, what is not so good, and longer taking that medicine can produce many problems.
Our memories are not stored in brain only, every our cell is memory bank. Traumas are very harmful for individuals and whole society, because they produce new traumatic experiences...
Trauma occurs, when there is no enough circulation in the brain, due to the natural reaction of sympatethic nervous system, "fight or flight",what is good in dangerous situations, where there is no time for analysing. Trauma can be healed, whith activating blood circulation in the brain, while keeping focus on traumatic experience (EMDR technique). This activates full capacity of our brain: higher levels of understanding, forgiveness and so on. This natural process successfully heals the trauma: on the body level- we need to be calm and have good blood circulation in the whole brain...this is the most simple explanation, but whole process is also simple. I will write a Hub about it soon...
Beta blockers are also blocking blood circulation, so I do not really understand, how can be trauma successfully healed on such a way??? Propanol used for trauma healing must affect / delete positive memories as well, that is my opinion...
I would always prefer natural techniques, medications are very difficult to control...especially in long-term use or in high doses.
Thank you again...
This is just scary to me...... Another good hub.
Tatjana - thanks for reading and for the valuable information. Looking forward to reading your hub on circulation - I also believe that cures can be simple and we so often hanker after the complex when the side effects can be so damaging!
RGraf - thanks for coming by - yes, sometimes real life can be scarier than fiction, can't it?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favorite movies! Here's a link to the trailer:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?client=opera&r
Very well written, cool concept (very like the one in this hub), and excellent acting. Jim Carrey has a real talent for acting in serious roles. If anyone here hasn't seen the movie yet, I highly recommend watching it.
On a more serious (and relevant) note, I had no idea they had made so much progress already. Creepy. I'm fascinated by the idea, and by science in general, but still...creepy.
Thanks for reading Sterling Sage. Yes, I mean to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind sometime soon - can't think how I missed it - ideally, I'd like to see a movie on the large screen! Saw a bit of it when it was nominated for the Oscars and thought Jim Carrey good.
This breakthrough has the potential to be so beneficial and yet so scary - I guess that's the dilemma!
Shudder !! Can't imagine Shalini what this world would come to if such a thing is legal in the near future .
But at the same time it will be one more typical dilemma faced by us when we weigh its benefits against its moral and ethical consequences .
Thanks for reading Shubha! Yes - damned if we do, damned if we don't kind of situation!
Hi Shalini. I was going to comment on your hub, but after reading through all the interesting comments, forget what it's about. But then, I'm getting on in years, and nature is culling my memories for me. Excellent hub, and thanks for alerting us to this issue.
Hi Bruce - thanks for reading!
I shall have to do something about this. Man needs those memories to keep him alive. Some bitterness is needed with the sweet. Pain is what bilds all things good. I am sure it pained you to learn of this and then write about it. You took such pains to do a maginficant job.
Thank you for coming by sea ghost. Yes, we need the pleasure and the pain to be a part of our memories, don't we?
It's easy to see how this could be useful - in the case of soldiers returning from war for example, but also easy to see how it could be manipulated. Plus, aren't our memories what informs our future decisions? Maybe the horrors of war are supposed to be remembered and suffered. There is a human cost more than the body count, and we must never forget lest we get too eager to wage it (which we seem to do pretty freely anyway.)
Useful and yet so dangerous. Yes, there is a human cost Christoph but the ones who have to suffer the aftermath are not the ones who decided to wage the war - it's so tough to decide one way or another when it comes to new technoligies like this, isn't it?
Wow, thats a sci fi hub and it will be soon going to be a reality. Every scientific invention has its own pros and cons. The soldier example was good but as u said things can get nasty if it falls in a wrong hand. Lets hope this is used for a good cause. Only time will tell
I do hope so too - thanks for reading jayb23.
I think this idea is abhorant. Everyone is made up of their life experiences, whether they be good bad or indifferent. I think it's humanity at large that needs to change so we can assist people with traumas in a more effective way. Character is built on adversity. If you think of life as just this life - the whole extent of the day you were born to the day of your death, then yes erase memories. If you look at life as a continuum, with would of course include reincarnation then this branch of science needs serious scrutiny.
Jewels - I see your point - one wonders where the line of technology ends and messing around begins!
It's scarey Shalini. We have people making decisions based on materialism alone - that's scares the lifetimes out of me.
Scary is right - especially when the boundaries of what should be and what shouldn't are blurred and maybe even non-existent! Of course the other question is: who decides? The parameters for judging are so subjective and that could be dangerous!
AEvans says:
14 months ago
I honestly don't care for that idea much, my goodness what is our world coming too? Although I do have some bad memories and sad memories , I kind of like them as they make me who I am today. Sounds to me , like they are trying to make me into robots. :)