Can we erase memories for therapeutic benefits?

from McGill Podcasts » Science & Technology · host Cody Rei-Anderson

If we could functionally erase a memory to make someone’s life better would that be acceptable? What if the memory was of a trauma that has incapacitated someone for decades? Why do we need memories if they keep us down? In a very playful manner, Dr. Karim Nader addresses some of the science that is [...]

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 11, 2010

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If we could functionally erase a memory to make someone's life better would that be acceptable? What if the memory was of a trauma that has incapacitated someone for decades? Why do we need memories if they keep us down? In a very playful manner, Dr. Karim Nader addresses some of the science that is at the heart of memory research today. The science suggests that memories can be functionally erased, a concept which was taken and expanded to the point of fiction in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. [flashvideo file="http://podcast.mcgill.ca/pods/scienceandtechnology/P100219_cuttingEdge_Nader.m4a" icons=false height=60 /]