Ethics

New molecular strategy for memory suppression (Reiner)

By Peter Reiner

Joe Tsien and his colleagues have a report in Neuron this week which delineates a new strategy to selectively erase memories.  The neuroethical issues surrounding use of the beta-blocker propanolol to achieve a similar effect have been widely discussed on this blog (for example here, here, and here) and in a number of high profile publications (including Neuroethics & Law Blog's Adam Kolber's papers on the topic, here and here, and a target paper earlier this year in AJOB Neuroscience), the beta blocker story has involved diminishing the emotional impact of the memory, and has focused on affecting noradrenergic activity in the amygdala.  The new report uses elegant molecular biological and pharmacologal tools to examine a different molecular target - CAM kinase II - in the process of memory reconsolidation.  Moreover, the effects that are reported in this study are remarkably robust; if confirmed, they certainly suggest that this strategy results in something much closer to memory erasure than beta-blockers provide.  [For those interested in a lay-person description of the science behind the story, I recommend this excellent summary in MIT's Technology Review.]

Exciting as these results may be, they represent cutting edge science which is unlikely to be translated into bona fide pharmacological agents in the near term.  Moreover, given the known safety profile of propanolol, any drug developed using this approach will have a high hurdle to overcome.  Nonetheless, the data are quite impressive and demonstrate that there may be a number of molecular strategies of suppression of unwanted memories.

Full post as published by Neuroethics and Law on October 23, 2008 (boomark / email).