Drugs Used for Treating Nerve Disorders can Erase Bad Memories: Study

Drugs prescribed for patients with multiple sclerosis can wipe out hateful memories of the past, according to a study.

Fingolimod in  the drug Gilenya is used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), a condition categorized by serious damage to nerves connecting the brain and spinal cord with other parts of the body. Recently, experts from the Virginia Commonwealth University tested the drug that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on mice and gave them mild electric shocks to induce physical pain and anxiety. The mice recuperated soon after taking other drugs but were greatly affected with stress and fear while staying in he cage where they received the shocks. The Fingolimod erased all recent memories of torture and pain by crossing the brain blood barrier.

 It was observed that the drug apart from preventing activity in white blood cells of the brain and spinal cord also blocked an enzyme called histone deacetylase that controls gene expression and made them forget bad incidents.

"Fingolimod, a Food and Drug Administration approved drug for treatment of multiple sclerosis, has beneficial effects in the central nervous system that are not yet well understood. It deserves consideration as an adjuvant therapy for post traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders," said Sarah Spiegel, study author from the Virginia Commonwealth University, reports the Daily Mail.

The study authors add that, these medications can help filter out memories of traumatic experiences that may have occurred years before. However, the idea is not free from ethical scrutiny that questions its safety from harmful side-effects on mental health that hinder the mind's ability to avoid mistakes by reminiscing past errors.

A research by the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois found remembering an unpleasant episode by concentrating on the details of event like who was there, how the weather was or what were we wearing can help overcome emotional distress. This can take away the attention from negative aspects of the bad incident instead of accumulating them within, reports the Telegraph.

More information is available online in the journal Neuroscience.