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An influential theory about the malleability of memory comes under scrutiny in a new paper in the Journal of Neuroscience.
The โreconsolidationโ hypothesis holds that when a memory is recalled, its molecular trace in the brain becomes plastic. On this view, a reactivated memory has to be โsavedโ or consolidated all over again in order for it to be stored.
A drug that blocks memory formation (โamnesticโ) will, therefore, not just block new memories but will also cause reactivated memories to be forgotten, by preventing reconsolidation.
This theory has generated a great deal of research interest and has led to speculation that blocking reconsolidation could be used as a tool to โwipeโ human memories.
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However, Gisquet-Verrier et al. propose a fundamental re-evaluation of the whole phenomenon. They propose that amnestic drugs donโt in fact block reconsolidation, but insteadadd an additional element to a reactivated memory trace. This additional element is a memory of the amnestic itself โ essentially, โhow it feelsโ to be intoxicated with that drug.
In other words, the proposal is that amnestics tag memories with โamnestic-intoxicationโ which makes these memories less accessible due to the phenomenon of state dependent recall.ย This predicts that the memories could be retrieved by givingย another dose of the amnestic.
Read full, original post:ย Time to Rethink the Reconsolidation Theory of Memory?
