Reality Check: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Despite not liking Jim Carey movies (except perhaps Pet Detective) I really did like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, was a thoroughly thought provoking film. Now it seems our trusty scientific animal friends, the rats (previously mentioned here), have in partnership with some scientists discovered a way to wipe out bad memories.

Researchers have found they can use drugs to wipe away single, specific memories while leaving other memories intact. By injecting an amnesia drug at the right time, when a subject was recalling a particular thought, neuro-scientists discovered they could disrupt the way the memory is stored and even make it disappear.

The programmer in me is left wondering about dependencies. For example, if memory A is dependant on Memory B, and memory B is removed, what happens to memory A? Yeah, its a whole lot more complicated than it looks Mr. man in the white lab coat with furry pet!

They offered up this fun analogy to describe the way our memories work, after having just visited the glass works in Venice, where I saw a man make a glass horse in seconds, I’m left wondering just how good his memory must be!

The research suggests memories can be manipulated because they act as if made from glass, existing in a molten state as they are being created, before turning solid. When the memory is recalled, however, it becomes molten again and so can be altered before it once more resets.

Right, I understand. It certainly makes for some good visuals.

Anyway, I have often thought about whether I would ever want to have painful memories removed, for example as the movie suggested, an ex-girlfriend. Of course I never concluded that I would, though that could be simply because I haven’t met the right one! Petra? 

(sorry, just couldn’t resist that last line, I’m very satisfied that such an opportunity has passed me by <sly grin>)

Scientists find drug to banish bad memories | Science | Earth | Telegraph

Technorati tags: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Science, Rats, Lab Coats