Science of forgetting

Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute have uncovered potentially important new insights into the molecular biology that underpins the process of forgetting. A team from the institute's Florida campus has pinpointed neurotransmitters that are essential to the formation of new memories and found that they are also instrumental in eliminating those that have already formed. By studying the brains of fruit flies, it was discovered that dopamine-based mechanisms are used by the brain to actively erase any memories that have not been flagged as important. This is the first time forgetting has been studied in depth as an active rather than a passive process, revealing insights that could be used to develop therapies to promote cognition and memory.