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  3. Roadside bombs, childhood abuse, car accidents—they form memories that can shape(and damage)us for a lifetime. Now, a handful of

Roadside bombs, childhood abuse, car accidents—they form memories that can shape(and damage)us for a lifetime. Now, a handful of

admin2014-09-30  10
问题     Roadside bombs, childhood abuse, car accidents—they form memories that can shape(and damage)us for a lifetime. Now, a handful of studies have shown that we’re on the verge of erasing and even rewriting memories. The hope is that this research will lead to medical treatments for mental disease, especially for addiction and post-trauma tic stress disorder(PTSD).
    Researchers have known for decades that memories are unreliable. They’re particularly adjustable when actively recalled because at that point they’re pulled out of a stable molecular state. A study was performed at the University of Washington in which adult volunteers completed a survey about their eating and drinking habits before age 16. A week later, they were given personalized analyses of their answers that stated—falsely—that they had gotten sick from rum or vodka as a teen. One in five not only didn’t notice the lie, but also recalled false memories about it and rated that beverage as less desirable than they had before.
    Studies like these point to possible treatments for mental health problems. Both PTSD and addiction disorders hinge on memories that can trigger problematic behaviors, such as crippling fear caused by loud noises or cravings brought about by the sight of drug paraphernalia(用具).
    Several studies have found chemical compounds that can be used to subdue or even delete memories in mice(and maybe someday in people). In June, a report led by an Emory University researcher showed that SR-8993, a drug that acts on the brain’s opioid receptors, can prevent a fear memory from forming. Researchers strapped mice to a wooden board for two hours—a stressful experience that later gave them a heightened sense of fear similar to PTSD. But mice given SR-8993 before or after the stressful incident were less likely to end up this way.
    Another study identified a drug, Latrunculin A, that can erase memories days later. The researchers trained mice to consume methamphetamine(甲基苯丙胺，俗称“冰毒”)in an environment with distinctive visual, tactile, and scent cues such as black walls, gridded floors. Mice that were injected with Latrunculin A two days later didn’t seek out meth when returned to that environment, but others did.
    To make more targeted treatments, researchers will ultimately need to understand how the brain’s neurons encode each memory. Susumu Tonegawa at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that individual memories in mice leave telltale molecular signatures in the brain’s hippocampus(海马体)region. Later, his group caused mice to falsely associate an old memory with a new context—essentially creating a false memory.
    The idea of scientists manipulating memory does, naturally, sound a bit creepy. But it also points to some possible good: treatment for millions of people tormented by real memories. And that’s something worth remembering.
What effect may the drug SR-8993 have on the mice who have suffered a scare?
选项 A、They would not fear any longer.
B、They might not keep this experience in mind.
C、They won’t be frightened by a similar experience.
D、They could rewrite the memory of this experience.
答案B
解析 细节辨认题。本段第二句阐明药物"SR-8993"的功用：阻止形成恐惧记忆。第三、四句指出，在压力事件之前或之后服用了“SR-8993”的老鼠，产生恐惧心理的几率比没有服用药物的老鼠要低。由此推测，受到惊吓的老鼠在"SR一8993"的作用下不会对这种经历产生记忆，故B)正确。A)“它们再也不会害怕”的说法太绝对，也不符合文章事实，故排除；C)“它们不会因相似经历而受惊”强调实验的潜在后果，但文中没有提及，故排除；D)“它们会改写对这次经历的记忆”，与文章意思不符，故排除。
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