Scientists said the drug can selectively delete the memory of terror

Dutch scientists claim that a common treatment for angina drug Inderal (propranolol) can selectively delete the memory of terror, which may become the treatment of anxiety disorders --- new approach to save memory by blocking the protein required by the synthesis, and thus interfere with memory consolidation, the study published in the February 16 publication of "Nature - Neural Science" on.

In the new experiments, researchers at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, staff give Healthy volunteers watch spider picture, a picture of one of the first shock will be. When the volunteers learn to be linked to the spider and electric shocks and saw the picture site will result in anxiety.　　

The next day, researchers will be divided into two groups of volunteers to one of the one group was given propranolol (used to treat arrhythmias, angina drug); give another group a placebo. Researchers to show them the same picture of the spider, and then burst through the broadcast of noise and analysis of the eye muscles a note of intensity level of their fears. The third day, two groups have to remember the shock and the links between the spider: they are precisely what I remember when fear. But taking a group of propranolol fear should be smaller. That implies that the contents of memory preserved intact, but the emotional memories trigger has been deleted.

This new discovery builds on decades of research on animals, the brain in different regions of different memory storage. A brain region called the amygdala is considered the brain's fear center in the brain's emotional memory storage plays an important role. In animal studies have shown that propranolol prevented the tonsil in a molecule, interferes with memory consolidation. The scientists have found that to remember a simple act, they need to keep on memory consolidation.

Previous studies have demonstrated that propranolol can help with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients. Sargent said: "Exposure therapy is the treatment of anxiety disorders the most effective way, but not for everyone to apply to have 20%% 60%% of patients will deteriorate again." However, taking the propranolol patients will not, This indicates that the memory really weaken or even completely eliminated.　

Sargent and other research team is conducting more extensive tests to determine the efficacy of propranolol at the same time, also want to find out the circumstances under which medication is best for them. Sargent said: "The next step is to observe that the impact of drugs on memory duration, to study their impact on people with certain diseases or the treatment of patients with phobia."

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