第十四篇：A Memory Drug?

　　IT'S DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE MANY THINGS that people would welcome more than a

　　memory- enhancing drug. 1 Furthermore, such a drug could help people remember past experiences more clearly and help us acquire new information more easily for school and at work. As scientists learn more about memory, we are closing in on this tantalizing goal. 1

　　Some of the most exciting evidence comes from research that has built on earlier finding,, linking LTP2 and memory to identify a gene that improves memory in mice. 2

　　Mice bred to have extra copies of this gene showed more activity in their NMDA receptors, more LTP, and　improved performance on several different memory tasks -- learning a spatial layout3, recognizing familiar objects, and recalling a fear-inducing shock.

　　If these basic insights about genes, LTP, and the synaptic basis of memory can be translated to people- and that remains to be seen -- they could pave the way for memory-enhancing treatments. 3 As exciting as this may sound, it also raises troubling issues. Consider the potential educational implications of memory-enhancing drugs. If memory enhancers were available, children who used them might be able to acquire and retain extraordinary amounts of information, allowing them to progress far more rapidly in school than they could otherwise. How well could the brain handle such an onslaught of information? What happens to children who don't have access to the latest memory enhancers? Are they left behind in school -- and as a result handicapped later in life?

　　4 Imagine that you are applying for a job that requires a good memory, such as a manager at a technology company or a sales position that requires remembering customers' names as well as the attributes of different products and services. Would you take a memory-enhancing drug to increase your chances of landing the position? Would people who felt uncomfortable taking such a drug find themselves cut out of lucrative career opportunities?

　　Memory drugs might also help take the sting out of disturbing memories that we wish we could forget but can't. The 2004 hit movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind told the story of a young man seeking just such freedom from the painful memories of a romantic breakup. As you will see in the section on persistence later in the chapter, emotionally arousing events often create intrusive memories, and researchers have already muted emotional memories with drugs that block the action of key hormones. Should emergency workers who must confront horrifying accident scenes that can burden them with persisting memories be provided with such drugs? Should such drugs be given to rape victims who can't forget the trauma? Memory drugs might provide some relief to such individuals. But could they also interfere with an individual's ability to assimilate and come to terms with a difficult experience? 5

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