通過心理治療和藥物，可以“編輯”人的記憶

A Montreal researcher says he has found a way to take the emotional sting out a bad breakup by "editing" memories using therapy and a beta blocker.

加拿大蒙特利爾一名研究人員稱，他找到了一種方法，通過心理治療和beta受體阻斷劑藥物來“編輯”人的記憶，消除分手失戀的情感創(chuàng)傷。

Dr Alain Brunet has spent over 15 years studying post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), working with combat veterans, people who have experienced terror attacks and crime victims.

阿蘭·布魯內博士(Dr Alain Brunet)花了15年時間研究創(chuàng)傷后壓力癥候群(PTSD)，對參加過戰(zhàn)爭或者經(jīng)歷過恐怖襲擊的人，以及罪案受害者等進行研究。

Much of his research has centred on the development of what he calls "reconsolidation therapy", an innovative approach that can help remove emotional pain from a traumatic memory.

他的研究很大部分集中在他所說的“再固化療法”的發(fā)展上。這是一種革新性的治療方法，能夠幫助消除創(chuàng)傷記憶當中的情感傷痛。

At the heart of his work is a humble pharmaceutical - propranolol - a beta blocker long used to treat common physical ailments like hypertension and migraines, but which research now suggests has a wider application.

他工作當中的一個重心是一種不起眼的藥物“普萘洛爾(Propranolol)”——這是一種乙型交感神經(jīng)阻斷劑，多年以來一直被用于高血壓和偏頭痛等一般疾病的治療，但是目前的研究顯示，它還有更廣泛的用途。

The reconsolidation method involves taking propranolol about an hour before a therapy session where the patient is asked to write a detailed account of their trauma and then read it aloud.

這種記憶再固化治療方法，是要在心理治療前一小時左右服用普萘洛爾，然后病人在治療中會被要求將自己的創(chuàng)傷經(jīng)歷詳細地寫下來，再大聲讀出來。

"Often when you recall memory, if there's something new to learn, this memory will unlock and you can update it, and it will be saved again," the Canadian clinical psychologist tells the BBC.

“很多時候當你回想一段記憶，如果有新的東西可以記，那這段記憶就會解鎖，然后你就可以去更新它，然后它會重新儲存，”這名加拿大臨床心理醫(yī)生向BBC表示。

"We're using this enhanced understanding on how memories are formed and how they are unlocked and updated and saved again - we're essentially using this recent knowledge coming out of neuroscience to treat patients," says Dr Brunet.

“我們正在利用記憶如何形成，以及它是如何被解鎖、更新然后重新儲存等這些來自神經(jīng)科學的最新知識治療病人，”布魯內醫(yī)生說。

Memories, their neutral, factual elements, are saved in the brain's hippocampus. But the emotional tone of the memory is saved in its amygdala.

在人的記憶當中，那些核心事實部分是儲存在大腦的海馬體中，而記憶當中有感情色彩的部分則是儲存在杏仁核體當中。

"Imagine that you are shooting a movie in the old-fashioned way so you have the image and and the sound and they are on two separate channels," he says.

“想象一下，你在用老式方法拍攝一部電影，你的影像和聲音分別是在兩條不同的軌道上，”他說。

When a person relives their traumatic memory they experience both channels. Propranolol helps target one channel - the emotional aspect of memory - inhibiting its reconsolidation and suppressing its pain.

當一個人回憶自己的創(chuàng)傷經(jīng)歷時，是會再次重歷兩條軌道的。普萘洛爾幫助鎖定其中一條——就是記憶當中的情感部分——抑制它的再固化，壓制它的痛楚。

A memory recalled under the influence of the medication will then be "saved" by the brain in its new, less emotional version.

在這種藥物作用下，記憶將會以一種感情色彩相對不強烈的新版本重新“儲存”在大腦里。

His research suggests about 70% of patients found relief within a few sessions of reconsolidation therapy.

他的研究顯示，大約70%的病人在幾次再固化治療之后會找到解脫。

His Montreal-based lab is currently recruiting about 60 people who have suffered infidelity or some other form of deception in a relationship for a new reconsolidation therapy study.

他位于蒙特利爾的實驗室，目前正召集了大約60人進行一種新的記憶再固化治療研究，他們都是在愛情關系中被背叛或者受到其他方式的欺騙。

Dr Brunet is also hopeful the scope of reconsolidation therapy can be expanded further, used to treat phobias, addiction, complicated grief.

布魯內醫(yī)生還希望，記憶再固化治療的視野能夠再一次擴大，用于研究恐懼癥、成癮癥以及復雜的憂郁情緒問題等等。

"Any type of distress which emanates from an emotional event," he says.

他說，希望這種療法可以用于“任何一種由一起情緒激烈的事件引發(fā)的苦惱”。