مکالمه ی فعالانه قسمت ج

Active Speaking - Part C

Scientists have discovered a way to alter memories.

What have scientists discovered? They have discovered a way to alter memories.

They hope to be able to erase traumatic memories from a person’s brain.

What kind of memories do they hope to erase? They hope to erase traumatic memories.

They are still several years away from testing this theory on humans though. Right now, they are using mice as test subjects.

What kind of test subjects are they using? They are using mice as test subjects.

The scientists have discovered a gene in the brain called the tet1 gene.

Have scientists discovered the tet1 gene? Yes, scientists have discovered the tet1 gene.

This gene is responsible for memory extinction, which is the process of new memories replacing old memories.

What is memory extinction? Memory extinction is the process of new memories replacing old ones.

The theory is, the higher the activity of the tet1 gene, the easier it will be to erase old memories.

Will high tet1 gene activity make it difficult to erase old memories? No, high tet1 activity won’t make it more difficult to erase old memories. It will make it easier to erase old memories.

To test this theory, they placed each mouse into a cage, where once inside, each mouse received an electric shock.

What did each mouse receive? Each mouse received an electric shock? Do you think it’s wrong to do painful experiments on animals?

The mice began to associate the cage with the electric shock, which was a traumatic experience for them.

What did the mice begin to associate with the electric shock? The mice began to associate the cage with the electric shock. Was this traumatic? Yes, this was traumatic.

Then the scientists split the mice into two separate groups. The first group retained their tet1 gene as normal, while the second group had their tet1 gene removed.

What happen to the second group? The second group had their tet1 gene removed.

The mice were then placed inside of the cage again, this time without the electric shock. Over time, the mice with the normal tet1 gene learned to not be afraid of the cage.

What happened to the mice with the normal tet1 gene? The mice with the normal tet1 gene learned to not be afraid of the cage.

Their painful memories faded over time.

Did their painful memories grow stronger? No, their painful memories didn’t grow stronger. Their painful memories faded over time.

Their new memories replaced the old, traumatic memory of the electric shock, and they no longer had anything to fear.

What replaced their old memories? New memories replaced their old memories.

The mice with the tet1 gene removed were just as afraid of the cage as ever. Without the tet1 gene to replace their traumatic memories, the mice’s old memory of the painful electric shock stayed strong.

Did the mice’s memory of the electric shock fade? No, the mice’s memory of the electric shock didn’t fade. It stayed strong.

In the future, this research into the tet1 gene may help humans forget painful memories.

In the future, could this research help people forget painful memories? Yes, in the future, this research could help humans forget painful memories.

But it is only a small piece of the puzzle.

Is this a big or small piece of the puzzle? This is a small piece of the puzzle.

The scientists have discovered which gene is responsible for replacing old memories. What they haven’t figured out is how to select individual memories they want to replace.

Can scientists select what memories they want to replace? No, scientists can’t select what memories they want to replace.

For fictional Clementine and Joel, they still kept all the old memories from their past, and erased only the ones they no longer wanted to keep.

Could Clementine and Joel select what memories they want to replace? Yes, Clementine and Joel could select what memories they wanted to replace.

That is much more advanced than the experiment with the mice. That said, the experiment is definitely moving us in a direction that will change the shape of the human experience.

Could memory research change the shape of the human experience? Yes, memory research could change the shape of the human experience.

Is erasing painful memories the key to happiness? The search for happiness is a growing fad in the world of psychology.

What is a fad in the world of psychology? The search for happiness is a growing fad in the world of psychology.

Of course, we all want to be happy, but erasing sad memories might not be the best way. While sadness and pain is something people naturally try to avoid, these situations sometimes give us the greatest opportunity for personal growth.

What kind of opportunity can pain and sadness give us? Pain and sadness can give us an opportunity for personal growth.

And of course, the pain we experience in our lives doesn’t just make us stronger. The experience of overcoming suffering and learning how to handle pain becomes a part of our identity.

Do you think your past experiences of overcoming suffering has become a part of your identity? Who would you be if you had never experienced the pain of loss? You’d probably be a much different person.

Do you think that erasing your memories would make you a much different person?

And how much sympathy and compassion for others in pain would you have if you had no experience of pain yourself?