But, what if there was a way that you could completely forget these all together?

但如果有個方法能讓你完全忘記這些呢？

Can science erase your bad memories?

科學能消去不好的回憶嗎？

Memory is an incredibly complex process.

記憶是個相當複雜的過程。

While scientists used to believe it was like a filing cabinet and particular memories were stored in different sections of the brain, we now know this is incorrect.

雖然過去科學家認為記憶像個檔案櫃，特定的記憶會被儲存在腦袋不同區域，現在我們知道這個想法是錯的。

In fact, each memory is a brain wide process.

事實上，每段記憶都經過大腦全面處理。

If you end up remembering this video, it's because the cells in your brain are being triggered and fired.

如果你能記得這部影片，那是因為腦中的細胞正不斷地被觸發、活化。

Building new connections and links and literally rewiring the circuitry of your mind.

不斷的製造出新的連結，並重新創造你的記憶迴路。

And this change is partially facilitated by proteins in the brain.

這個過程中，某部分是由腦中的蛋白質所促進。

So what if the proteins aren't available?

那麼萬一腦中缺少蛋白質呢？

Simply put, memories can't be made.

簡單來說，就無法製造出記憶。

Seriously, scientists have tested this by giving animals drugs that prevent these proteins from forming.

這是真的，科學家注射了抑制蛋白質的藥物到動物身上。

As a result the animals have no recollection of the things that took place shortly after the drug was taken.

證實動物在注射後，完全不記得剛剛所發生的事。

From this research, scientists actually found a way to target long term memories for deletion.

透過這個研究，科學家們發現了刪除長久記憶的方法。

You see, every single time you remember a memory, your brain is once again firing and rewiring.

每當你記起一個回憶，你的大腦便活躍並重組。

In fact, each time you reflect on a memory, you are literally physically changing that memory in your mind.

事實上，每當你回想一次，你正漸漸地改變腦海中的記憶。

And each time that memory is altered a little, reflecting your current thoughts.

每回想一次，記憶就改變一點，並反映你當下的想法。

Remembering is an act of creation and imagining, meaning the more you reflect on old memories, the less accurate they become.

回憶是一種創造與想像，你越去回想，這些回憶越不準確。

And scientists have actually quantified this change.

科學家已經量化了記憶的改變。

After 9/11, hundreds of people were asked about their memories of that dreadful day.

911 事件過後，上百位人們被問到關於當天恐怖的記憶。

A year later, 37% of the details had changed.

一年後，人們記憶的細節改變了 37%。

By 2004, nearly 50% of the details had changed or gone missing.

而到了 2004 年，接近 50% 的記憶已經改變或消失。

And because memories are formed and rebuilt every time,

正因為記憶總是不斷重建，

if you administer the protein inhibiting drug while recalling a memory, the memory can be effectively removed.

如果在你回憶的當下，施打蛋白質抑制劑，記憶就會被有效地移除。

To test this, scientists took lab rats and played a sound for them, shortly followed by an electric shock.

為了驗證這項理論，科學家撥放某個聲音給老鼠聽，並接著電擊。

After doing this multiple times, the rats quickly learned that if they heard the sound, a shock was soon to follow.

經過多次，老鼠很快地了解，如果聽到這個聲音，很快就會被電擊。

As a result, they would stress up and freeze every time they heard it.

因此每次老鼠聽到聲音就會倍感壓力，並僵在原地。

Months later, these rats would still respond to the noise.

幾個月後，這些老鼠仍對聲音有反應。

However, if they administered the drug first, the rats would lose the memory of the sound, and simply continue on.

但如果先為牠們施打藥物，老鼠便會失去對聲音的記憶，並持續原本的動作。

They had lost their memory of that specific noise.

牠們失去了對那個聲音的記憶。

To be sure the drug wasn't just causing large scale brain damage, scientists repeated these experiments with multiple tones this time.

為確保藥物並非只是大範圍破壞腦部，科學家以不同音調一再實驗。

Both sounds would warn for a shock, and eventually the mice would fear both.

兩種聲音在老鼠記憶中，都會成為電擊前的警告，最後老鼠會害怕聽到這兩種聲音。

But if they administered the drug and played only one of the sounds, the mice would only forget that one tone, while still remaining fearful of the other.

但如果他們被施打藥物，接者只撥放其中一種聲音，老鼠會忘記那種聲音，但仍害怕另一種聲音。

Over time scientists have discovered specific drugs to target particular proteins across different parts of the brain.

科學家已發現一些特殊藥物，能針對腦中不同區域的蛋白質作用。

So, if you experience a terrible emotion with a memory, then targeting a protein in the emotional regions of the brain can help to remove that connection alone.

因此，經歷可怕記憶後，如果在腦部情感區域蛋白質注入藥物，就能單獨去除這段記憶連結。

Which could be an amazing tool, especially for patients suffering from something like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

這會是個神奇的工具，尤其對於正在遭遇創傷後壓力症侯群的病患。

But while these drugs are in the very early stages, the question remains;

但這些藥物仍處於應用初期，因此仍存有一些問題。

if you were given a "forgetting pill" would you be willing to take it?

如果有人給你一顆「遺忘藥丸」，你願意嘗試嗎？

Special thanks to Audible.com for supporting this episode and giving you a free audio book of your choice at audible.com/asap.

特別感謝 Audible.com 支持這支影片，並在 audible.com/asap 上贈送免費有聲書。

Audible is the leading provider of audio books with over 150,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature.

有聲書領導品牌 Audible 有超過 150,000 本各式作品能下載。

We recommend the book "Undeniable: Evolution and the science of creation" by the one and only Bill Nye the Science Guy who we did a video with on this channel a while back!

我們推薦《Undeniable: Evolution and the science of creation 》，本書作者就是上次有跟我們一起合作影片的 Bill Nye。

You can download this audio book or another of your choice, for free, at audible.com/asap.

你可以下載這本有聲書，也可以在 audible.com/asap 選擇其他免費有聲書。

And with a subscription you get one free book a month!

訂閱頻道，每月就可獲得一本免費有聲書。

Special thanks Audible for making these videos possible, and subscribe for more weekly science videos!

特別感謝 Audible 讓這些影片成真！訂閱來觀看更多每周科學影片！