Researchers at New York University in the United States have developed a non-invasive method without drugs that semi-permanently blocks the reappearance of fear memories in humans .
Previous studies had tried to block the brain's storage of fear-related memories. However, many of the earlier methods used components that were toxic to humans and only worked for a few days.
In the new work, the scientists, led by Elizabeth Phelps, overcame these components using a phase of memory formation known as reconsolidation , in which old memories can change . After training subjects to be afraid of visual stimuli, the researchers introduced new 'safe' information while re-activating fear memories. In this way, they were able to rewrite the negative thoughts associated with the stimulus. The authors assure that the effects of this type of intervention last at least a year and do not seem to affect other memories.
? Our research suggests that during the lifetime of memory there are windows of opportunity during which stored information can be permanently changed, "explains Daniela Schiller, co-author of the study.
