Learning How To Forget

Have you ever seen, heard, or experienced something that you just wish you could forget? I usually struggle more with trying not to forget but on some occasions I have felt it would be useful if I could simply erase an element of my life just as if it never happened. It may sound strange but much of the current brain research on memory is focused on making subjects forget. Scientists have target proteins that are connected to specific memories and have experienced some measure of success at wiping those memories from the brain. In The Dana Alliance’s 2010 Progress Report On Brain Research (http://www.dana.org/uploadedFiles/News_and_Publications/Special_Publications/WEB_ProgressReport2010.pdf) they state that they believe, “To optimize the way memory functions, scientists must continue to map out its inner workings at the molecular level. Recent research underscores the role of specific proteins for preserving memory. In addition, scientists have shown that rapid erasure of memory may someday become a reality.” Wouldn’t that be great if you could just erase the most embarrassing moments from your past just like they never happened? Well, that may be trivial, but considering those who have truly experienced severely traumatic experience, this research could be life changing. In a recent article from wired.com (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2012/02/ff_forgettingpill/) they discuss the implications for individuals with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and the role that a recent brain research might play in helping victims forget the experience ever even happened. Jonah Lehrer of wired.com states, “In the very near future, the act of remembering will become a choice.” The ethical dilemmas surrounding this application of recent research are hugely significant; however, the implications for learning could be just as important. By discovering the way that we forget we may just figure out how we learn. These recent advances on the molecular level are paving the way for future research on how these chemicals function in storing information into long-term memory.