Traumatic experiences would soon be no more than a distant memory, thanks to a ground-breaking pill.
Scientists have unlocked some of the secrets of how the brain deals with stress – paving the way for a drug that eases painful memories.
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Within a decade we could have a pill that would help those haunted by car crashes, as well as sufferers of crippling phobias.
The Leicester University research could also provide the foundation for new treatments for depression.
Mice genetically engineered ?to be unable to make a protein called lipocalin-2 reacted to stress more severely than other animals.
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Tests tracked this back to changes in junctions that brain cells use to communicate with each other.
Mice lacking the protein had more ‘mushroom-shaped’ junctions key to learning and consolidating memories, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (MUST CREDIT) reports.
Researcher Dr Robert Pawlak (CORR) said, “Mushroom spines help us remember things we once learned – but it is not always good.?
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“Some very stressful events would better be forgotten quickly or they may result in anxiety disorders. There is a constant battle of forces in our brain to help maintain the right balance of thin and mushroom spines – or how much to remember and what better to forget.
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“We have identified a protein that the brain produces in response to stress in order to reduce the number of mushroom spines and therefore reduce future anxiety associated with stressful events.”
The researcher now plans to look at whether raising levels of the protein helps ease painful memories.
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If so, a drug that boosts lipocalin-2 in the brain could be on the market within a decade.
The research could also lead to new treatments for depression.
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Dr Pawlak said, “Stress-related psychological and mental disturbances are extremely common and affect more than 30 per cent of the population.?
“We are keen to investigate whether the mechanisms discovered by us apply to humans and could help inform clinical strategies to deal with anxiety disorders and depression.”
The ability to erase painful memories has been the stuff of science fiction and Hollywood blockbusters for decades.
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In the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a couple, played by Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, undergo a procedure known as ‘targeted memory erasure’ to wipe out all recollection of each other after their relationship turns sour.
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Dutch researchers recently discovered that beta-blocker drugs used to treat heart disease may also help patients to banish bad memories.
And scientists have shown that maintaining a stiff upper lip in times of crisis can stop bad memories from being laid down.?
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Those who refuse to panic during moments of trauma remember less about what they saw than people who are more emotional.
It is thought that by concentrating so hard on keeping their emotions in check, they overload their brain, stopping it from taking in what is happening.
But the field is not without its critics, with some claiming that holding on to and reviewing bad memories is essential if we are to learn from our mistakes.
–Daily Mail, London