Anthony here for DNews.

我是 DNews 的 Anthony。

And I think we've all wondered just when we'll be able to Eternal Sunshine all the nasty stuff out of our memories — you know, visit a doctor, pop a pill, and poof, whatever traumatic stuff is messing with you, is just gone.

我覺得大家應該都在想我們何時會有技術抹去腦中所有不好的回憶，你知道的，像是去看醫生，吃藥，不管什麼創傷讓你很困擾，都會消失不見。

You know, the secret to getting over a painful memory lies in a process called "memory extinction".

你知道嗎，消除痛苦記憶的過程叫作「記憶消除」。

Over time, it becomes easier to walk by the place where your breakup happened because the traumatic memory of that place is replaced by all the more recent ones where nothing happened while you walked by there.

隨著時間的流逝，當你經過之前分手的地方時會比過去容易些，因為最近經過那個地方卻什麼都沒發生的記憶，已經取代了過去的回憶。

But what physical process causes memory extinction?

但什麼樣的物理過程會造成「記憶消除」呢？

What makes those painful memories fade?

什麼能讓這些痛苦的回憶消失呢？

A new study published by MIT says it all lies in a gene called Tet1, which controls the expression of other genes in your hippocampus and cortex — two bits of your brain that are important to learning and memory.

MIT 發表的一個新研究說明這是 Tet1 基因造成的，Tet1 基因控制海馬迴和皮質中其他基因的表達，這兩者是腦中管控學習和記憶的重要部位。

Two groups of mice were studied.

實驗研究了兩組的老鼠。

One had a normal level of Tet1, and one group had its ability to make Tet1 removed.

一組有正常的 Tet1 基因，另外一組的 Tet1 基因被移除了。

And all of the mice were put into a cage and given an electric shock.

所有的老鼠都被放進籠子裡，然後被電擊。

And then over time, they kept being put into the cage, but without ever being shocked again.

一段時間後，他們會再被放進籠子裡，但並沒有被電擊。

And the mice with normal Tet1 levels eventually were not stressed out by the cage.

而有正常 Tet1 基因的老鼠，不會對籠子感到有壓力。

But the mice without Tet1 never stopped being frightened.

但是沒有 Tet1 基因的老鼠卻一直處在驚嚇狀態。

And it's not that the mice without Tet1 couldn't make new memories.

這不代表沒有 Tet1 基因的老鼠無法製造新的記憶。

They seemed to learn and remember new things just fine.

他們在學習和記憶新事物的成效也不錯。

But memory extinction is not actually about old memories disappearing, it's about having both the old and new memories and your brain being able to phase the old one out as it becomes less relevant.

「記憶消除」並不是抹去舊的記憶，而是當你的腦中同時有新舊的記憶，大腦會淘汰舊的記憶，因為它比較不重要。

The mice without Tet1 couldn't do that.

沒有 Tet1 基因的老鼠無法做到這件事。

The two memories existed just as powerfully at the same time.

兩次在籠子中的記憶對他們來說是相等的清晰。

So no Tet1 means bad memories never lost their importance or clarity.

沒有 Tet1 基因就代表不好的回憶在腦中永遠都會那麼清晰。

But what happens if you can boost someone's levels of Tet1?

但如果能夠提升某人的 Tet1 基因會發生什麼事呢？

The MIT researchers believe it could lead to new treatments for things like addiction and PTSD, and maybe one day trickle down into a pill that helps take the sting out of some of the other traumatic life events that are hard to get over.

MIT 的研究人員認為， 這可能可以治療成癮和創傷後心理壓力緊張症候群，也許有一天它會變成藥丸，然後幫助抹去難以消除的痛苦記憶。

There are probably some other things to figure out there too, I'd imagine, like does Tet1 just wash away all old trauma?

還有其他值得思考的事情，像是 Tet1 基因能消除所有創傷嗎？

Can we really create something that can just target one specific memory?

我們可以創造出消除特定回憶的方法嗎？

I love this idea as a form of therapy for people who've had extremely traumatic events in their life, but I would hate to see it become too widely used.

我喜歡這個可以幫助在生命中受到重大創傷的人的點子，但我不希望他被廣泛使用。

I mean, imagine a future where we have the ability to decide how important every event in our life is and just ditch the ones that we don't think are relevant, I feel like that's kind of a recipe for a society full of over-confident dummies.

我的意思是，如果未來我們可以任意決定每件在我們生命中發生的事的重要程度，並且消滅那些不重要的記憶，我覺得這會促成社會上充滿過度自信的傻瓜。

I don't know.

我不確定。

What do you think?

你覺得呢？

Would you use a memory removal pill?

你會使用記憶消除藥丸嗎？

Let us know in the comments and subscribe for more DNews.

留言讓我們知道吧，還有要訂閱才能看到更多的 DNews。