Scientists Show How Memories Can Be Recovered

In a study recently published in the journal Nature Communications, a team of researchers from Cardiff University have found that human memories are more robust than previously believed, and have identified a process that could potentially help the brain recover lost memories, bury bad memories and pave the way for new drugs and treatments for people with memory-related disorders. During the study, the research team found that reminders could reverse the amnesia caused by methods previously thought to produce total memory loss in rats. “Previous research in this area found that when you recall a memory, it is sensitive to interference to other information and in some cases is completely wiped out. Our research challenges this view and we believe proves this not the case,” according to the lead researcher. Although the results of the study were found in a rat-model, the researchers believe the animal models do accurately reflect what happens in the human brain, suggesting our autobiographical memories and our self-histories are clouded by new memories, rather than completely lost. This is an exciting prospect in terms of treating psychiatric illness associated with memory disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and psychosis. To read more about this study, click here.