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OMSI Science Pub: Fear and Memory Erasure
The following description was submitted by the event organizer.
Years of research on the neurobiology of learning and memory have delineated key brain mechanisms involved in processing fear. These mechanisms can be engaged by fun fear, such as an unexpected “boo!” on Halloween or the anticipation that builds in a scary movie.
With more intense experiences, these brain mechanisms can become hyperactivated leading to a debilitating inability to inhibit memories associated with an especially traumatic event. These traumatic experiences often result in anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in which the stress and anxiety associated with certain memories can have a lasting impact. Although pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral interventions for these disorders are helpful, long-term treatments remain a challenge.
An open question currently being investigated in the neuroscience of memory is whether we can erase these fearful memories. In this presentation, Dr. Matt Lattal will review what we know about the neuroscience of fear and memory erasure, and offer caveats about what it means to erase memories scientifically and ethically.
With Dr. Matt Lattal, Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at OHSU.