Friday, September 04, 2009

Eternal Sunshine is Real

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favorite movies, and easily belongs on the Top 10 list of movies of the decade. And it basically starts with this premise: What if we could erase painful memories?

Well, apparently science has once again caught up to filmmakers' imagination. According to this study, a team of researchers has figured out a way to erase the memories of rats. They trained the rats to associate a particular sound with an electric shock, so that eventually, whenever the rats hear the sound, they freeze. Adult rats never forget -- they always freeze. But when scientists injected a drug that's supposed to dissolve the protective sheath around the brain cells in the amygdala -- lo and behold -- the rats stopped freaking out when they heard the sound.

Now, this is being talked up as something that could become immensely helpful to those with PTSD. And I can certainly see that. But I also wonder how long it is before it goes from being PTSD specific to being prescribed to anyone who, like Joel and Clementine in Eternal Sunshine, are just sad about a lost relationship. In any case, it provokes the following questions: Should we erase memories at all? If so, what kinds? And who should be able to decide what kinds?

Anyone have any insights here?

1 comment:

Wicked Little Critta said...

Oy. What a question!
As far out as the movie seemed when it came out, the basic premise of erasing memories isn't really that strange. I mean, it happens all the time with people suffering from brain damage, it was only a matter of time before we figured out a way to create our own procedure and tailor it to our desires.

This is one of those things that makes me cringe...like genetic engineering...something that I know can be potentially helpful and beneficial, but forces us to challenge our thoughts about living life well and what that means. Also, there's no denying the fact that people will always use things to the extreme...

Maybe it will become something like psychiatric medications...only available if prescribed, but similar to Lacuna in ESotSP, there will be some kind of black market for those like Joel and Clementine. Because it's true that trauma can seriously impair a person's ability to enjoy life and even get through each day. How can we begrudge a person struggling with PTSD the ability to do this?