Blog Post #1- Erasing Traumatic Memories

Hi everyone!  I hope you had a wonderfully relaxing Thanksgiving break with your families!  I did- both of my kids were home- and we also hosted my friend Laura, who visited from Connecticut!  We are friends from high school who have kept in touch for all of these years, and we have such fun when we get together!  We are 'shopping buddies' so we set out on Friday morning and hit all of the little towns around CF.  We stayed away from the malls and big box stores- in favor of boutiques and gift shops.  We had a grand time!

There have been several "brain in the news" stories in the media recently!  One of the most intriguing is one that was printed in the Waterloo-CF Courier last week- but originated from the Baltimore Sun.  The title is "Way to Erase Traumatic Memories May be on the Horizon".  I had heard of this particular drug therapy several years ago- through Pat Wolfe- but this article makes it sound as if testing is continuing, and it may become a reality.

I'll let you read the article yourself, but the gist is that they have discovered a way to actually erase traumatic memories, by asking the person to recall the memory, and then identifying a "window of vulnerability" when the brain produces certain proteins.  The theory is (and trials with mice have been successful) that if a particular drug is administered during that window- as a person is actually recalling the memory- that the traumatic memory will be erased.  Unbelievable!  Of course, there are huge ethical considerations to deal with here!  But researchers are hoping that additional therapies can be developed to help Post Traumatic Stress victims.  The therapy holds the most promise (at least at this point in time) for victims of a single violent act-  such as a rape or an assault-  and who suffer from "flashbacks".  There are more uncertainties about how to treat those victims (such as soldiers) who witnessed multiple traumatic events- or those who were traumatized by sustained stressful situations.

I'll include the link to the article.  I hope you'll take a moment to read it.  You'll notice references to the amygdala that should strike a chord with you.  (remember- it is the inner brain structure that scans all incoming information and determines what should be paid attention to-  thus... it is a survival structure within the brain)  When a person experiences a traumatic event, such as an attack, a car accident, or war...   the amygdala does exactly what it is supposed to do-  it alerts the person to the danger, causes them to act "instinctively" to either fight, flee, or freeze-  and creates a "hypersensitivity" to future situations that are similar.  (example-  veterans who experienced combat are often hypersensitive to loud bangs-  the backfire of a car's engine, etc- as their amygdalae are programmed to respond to gunfire and explosives.)  So... the amygdala doing exactly what it is supposed to do in a stressful situation, can actually cause problems when the danger has passed-  thus-  PTSD.

Here is the link to the article:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bs-hs-erasing-memories-20101122,0,342650.story

It's a fascinating study-  and the ethical considerations it raises are fascinating, as well.  For those of you who teach older students, an article such as this one would make great fodder for a debate.  Is this type of drug therapy ethical?  Is the promise of help it could give to some... worth the risk for abuse?  Seems like it could make for a great project that would include research, some really good thought-provoking essential questions, persuasive writing, persuasive speaking, debate, etc.

More later... enjoy the season!

Blogging between now and February 17, 2011

I've decided to try my hand at blogging!  My intent is to use this venue to maintain a connection to all of you BBLers between now and the next time we meet in mid-February.  I'm not going to give you a new assignment to do between now and then, but hope that you will use our time apart to work on the assignments that we discussed on the first day of class.  These would be:

1)  Try out the Sampling strategy with your students, and then post a reflection about your experience on the "Sampling" page of our Wiki.

2)  Create a 'synthesis sheet' that pulls together the concepts about the brain that are most meaningful to you-  and then post your creation on the "Synthesis Sheet" page of our Wiki.

3)  Read one self-selected "brain book" and post a reflection on the "Book Reflection" page of our Wiki.

Completing those tasks, formulating ideas for your final showcase-day project, and oh yes, teaching- will keep you plenty busy over the next few months.  But... I don't want to deprive you of new information about the brain, just because we won't be meeting for awhile!    :-)   So... I'm going to use this blog to keep you posted on what I'm hearing and/or reading in the news about the brain.  I'll make brief but (hopefully) frequent posts to this blog that will keep you updated.  You may respond to any of my posts, but you need not respond to all of them. I will include links to articles or websites whenever possible.  If the topic I'm blogging about raises a question, please post it.  Or... if YOU come across any "brain in the news" topics and want to share them, feel free to respond to my posts at anytime with your own topics.

Please "follow" my Brain in the News Blog, so that you'll know when a new post has been made.  This is the first time that I've tried this- using a blog to stay connected during these long winter months apart.  My hope is that when we come back together in February, that it will be easier to pick up where we left off.