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Can memories be transferred between brains?
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Like something straight out of a summer sci-fi movie, scientists have successfully transferred memories between the brains of two different living creatures. But before you get too excited, or scared, the researchers used snails, which are not exactly thought to be brain powerhouses.
In results published in the journal E-neuro, a team of neurobiologists at the University of California, Los Angeles used two groups of snails. One group was trained using mild electric shocks, while the other snails were untouched.
The snails that had been sensitized to the shocks showed enhanced reflexes to any outside stimulation. Their skin would instantly contract upon being touched, expecting to be shocked again. The snails that had not been shocked showed no reaction to being touched.
That all changed when scientists took ribonucleic acid, or RNA, from the nervous system of the jolted snails and injected it into their untouched brethren. RNA acts as a messenger for DNA, and one day after the procedure, the snails that had never been shocked nonetheless reacted to external stimuli with heightened reflexes and caution.
So, what does this experiment have to do with people?
The study’s lead author said if the RNA created new memories in the simple brains of snails, scientists can see if it sheds light on the creation of memory in the human brain. This could be lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and PTSD.
It might not lead to you downloading a friend’s memory of the wonderful date he had last night, but it might help us hold on to the memories we cherish most — our own.
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