A drug that can make your old memories like new | Hacker News Reader

A drug that can make your old memories like new

sciencemag.org

38 pointslotusleaf198711 comments

Just from the abstract, it looks like they're genetically increasing the amount of this particular protein (PKMζ) in the neocortex of rats, not giving them a drug. I'll read the article and revise.

Edit: The approach here is to create a virus that carries a gene coding for the protein they want to overexpress. The virus inserts the gene into the host cell's dna, which in this case is in the rat's neocortex. They say that expression of this protein is under control of a cytomegalovirus promoter, but I'm not sure if they need to use an additional drug to induce expression.

In any case, the HN title is incorrect.

Paper seems to be behind a paywall. I've copied the full version here: http://209.20.67.195/misc/memoryenhancement.pdf

See my profile for why I do what I do. Please email me to let me know when my services are needed.

Nice job...well done. I've just downloaded this and reposted it to min.us:

http://min.us/mvjf9pl

Does this exist somewhere that isn't behind a paywall? Or better yet...is there a good description anywhere of the methods used for the relative layman?

Edit: Ok I've been snooping around for articles on this and so far I've found these:

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/03/the-memory-virus...

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-enzyme-erases-long-term-...

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/mar2011/nimh-03.htm

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/70519/title/Enzym...

The drug that also up-regulates NGF is available over the counter in Russia, and it's called noopept (GVS-111). Good luck finding it in stock anywhere.

I'm guessing this will be used to enhance the gravitas of someone on the witness stand while talking about a past crime in 3... 2..

Smoking meth improves your memory too, but it's hard to imagine a bunch of cracked out tweakers being given extra credibility on the witness stand.

The only memory-based effects of methamphetamine I've heard of have been impairment, not improvement. Do you have any citations?

Also, methamphetamine has a very high addiction potential. I don't know if this does - I've yet to even glance at the paper - but I would be willing to hedge money on your comparison being between apples & oranges.

http://io9.com/#!5548581/meth%20addicted-snails-prove-that-a...

Meth makes you vastly more intelligent, that's partly why people get addicted to it. It may impair memory and intelligence in the long term, but this new drug may well do the same, so if you want to do an apples-to-apples comparison then you really have to compare the short-term effects of meth with the short-term effects of this new drug.

Also, I wouldn't say that the addiction potential of meth is that high unless you're abusing it. It's currently a prescription drug that's available to anyone age 6 and over, meaning the government thinks it's less dangerous than marijuana.

see 'Green Mars' by Kim Stanley Robinson

It wasn't until the end of 'Blue Mars' that Sax Russell and his team at Da Vinci were able to create a memory enhancing drug.

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