Our Changing Memory, and How it Can Help Trauma
Our memories change each time we recall them, resulting of an overall idea of the event, but not a detailed or accurate memory much of the time.
In a new paper published in Nature Communications Biology, a team of neuroscientists map out the key molecular and genetic differences between positive and negative memories, finding that the two are actually strikingly distinct on multiple levels. Emotional memories are physically different from other types of brain cells and distinct from each other. These can only be viewed through an advanced neuroscience tool, called optogenetics. In their research, the team can view brain cells of mice by prompting them to respond to light. Researchers shine a harmless laser light into the brain and turn on cells that have been given a receptor that responds to light. They can also color code positive and negative memories by inserting a fluorescent protein that is stimulated by light, so that positive memory cell networks glow green, for example, and negative cell networks to glow red or blue.
Differentiating between positive and negative memories in the brain, and knowing that memory can be changed offer possibilities for new treatments of trauma.
Neuroscientists were able to activate the negative memory cells or positive memory cells in mice using different lights, giving hope for new treatments to address trauma. Researchers activated a trauma memory in the mice, then re-activated a group of positive memory cells. This reduced the fear response long after the memory was activated. They also activated normal or boring memories for the mice and found that effective for neutralizing the trauma memory as well.
While this study has a long way to go to apply the methods to humans, the findings could still translate to clinical settings. Clinicians can seek to activate positive memories as replacements for trauma memories by using pictures of a good memory and reinforcing those memories as replacements through repetition.
Some of these findings also reflect the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation to help those affected by trauma.
Ultimately, this study shows another potential layer of methods to change the brain to heal trauma and overcome traumatic memory.