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posted by martyb on Monday November 06 2017, @08:48PM   Printer-friendly
from the forget-about-it! dept.

Wish you could get rid of bad memories? Scientists say they may have found the key

[Scientists] say they have found the key chemical that helps our brains inhibit [...] unwanted, intrusive memories [open, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00956-z] [DX]. That's a big deal, because the discovery could help pioneer new ways to help people get past debilitating thoughts, according to a new study published in Nature Communications this week.

So what's the key? It's a neurotransmitter called GABA — a chemical in the brain that sends messages between nerve cells, according the study's author, Michael Anderson, a professor at the University of Cambridge. Anderson and the rest of his research team revealed in the study that GABA levels within the hippocampus — a vital part of the brain when it comes to memory — are strong predictors of whether or not you can block unwanted thoughts from resurfacing.

Think of GABA as foot soldiers in the hippocampus, Anderson said in a statement. Their mission? To block your intrusive thoughts. You and your brain's prefrontal cortex (the brain's "master regulator") are the commander of that brigade of neurotransmitter troops, the researchers wrote. But if you don't have enough GABA soldiers on the ground in your hippocampus to block the things your prefrontal cortex doesn't want to think about, you're probably going to keep thinking about them.

"When this capacity breaks down, it causes some of the most debilitating symptoms of psychiatric diseases — intrusive memories, images, hallucinations, ruminations, and pathological and persistent worries," Anderson said.

γ-Aminobutyric acid: That's another ingredient for my homebrewed soma mix.

Also at BBC and Newsweek.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 06 2017, @10:03PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 06 2017, @10:03PM (#593326)

    for the real deal, just grow some amanita on barley for a week, oven-dry, grind, add hot water and have a fun legal drink.

  • (Score: 2) by HiThere on Tuesday November 07 2017, @02:21AM (1 child)

    by HiThere (866) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday November 07 2017, @02:21AM (#593415) Journal

    And what's the LD50? Aminita isn't safe.

    --
    Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 07 2017, @01:56PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 07 2017, @01:56PM (#593634)

      Amanita is more than one type. Some are not safe, some are perhaps psychologically unsound, and some are santa claus mushrooms that make reindeer fly and witches brooms streak across the sky and encourage pagan sex rituals (or just uncouth behavior by Christian schoolgirls--and adults)

      The LD50 on the destroying angel is not very high... but on the pantherina or muscaria you have to eat more than your brain probably will let your ego handle and the real damage comes from your behavior if you aren't in a safe location with people to prevent you from wigging out physically.

      you can eat a number of amanita varieties, but at least read something on erowid first!