No, it’s not a memory enhancer. And it’s not exactly new: propranolol, a beta-blocker used to treat high blood pressure, can apparently dull emotionally intense memories, and help people with PTSD.
The ethical concerns about influencing memories is fascinating, although I think the story tries too hard to paint this as “a drug that changes your memories.”
I would also be concerned about neglecting the psychotherapy aspect of PTSD treatment. I mean, suppressing bad memories isn’t healthy either — it comes out in a lot of harmful ways (at least from anecdotal accounts people have told me, and from psychoanalytic theory).
I think there would also be a concern about prescribing beta-blockers to healthy people. Epinephrine and norepinephrine are important for a billion different functions in the body — regulating heart rate, kidney function and blood pressure, glucose metabolism and the stress response, and as a neurotransmitter in the brain. I don’t know if any long-term studies have been done to look at the risk of developing cardiac arrhythmia, hypotension, diabetes, or neurological symptoms.
Of course, there are risks associated with PTSD, and a poorer quality of life in some respects, but you really have to weigh both sides, and look at what other treatments are available, before jumping on this new treatment bandwagon.
The preceding commentary does not reflect the views of this station, or of actual doctors.
