In the cult-classic “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” Jim Carrey’s character tries to overcome a painful breakup by erasing his memory.
Eleven years later after the science fiction flick debuted, science may be finally catching up.
Researchers in Florida have discovered a method of wiping away memories, using a specific chemical instead of the fearsome machine featured in the film.
And unlike Carrey’s character, real patients are unlikely to have second thoughts.
That’s because the new procedure only suppresses memories associated with drug use.
Normally, the idea of losing our memories would seem scary. Amnesia is a terrifying and still baffling affliction. Alzheimer’s is, in many ways, the scourge of our modern age.
But the scientists behind this procedure believe their work has the potential to revolutionize drug addiction treatment, possibly enabling millions of American drug addicts to literally forget the triggers that can otherwise lead to a life of painful relapses and, in some cases, a fatal overdose.
The big caveat, among others, is that it has not been tested on humans, which means it may or may not ever reach the market. They are currently applying for federal grants and hope to start human trials in five years.
“The idea is that someone would go into a rehab program with the typical abstinence therapies, and while they are in the treatment program they would receive this medication one time and it should remove all of the associations with the drug,” said Courtney Miller, Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Fla.
