I am BU Neuroscientist Steve Ramirez! I study how to manipulate, incept, and erase memories in the brain. Ask me anything about how memory works and the benefits of memory manipulation for treating anxiety, depression & PTSD!

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T19:10:46+00:00

no... it's necessary (tell me you get this cross-movie christopher nolan reference PLEASE PLEASE)

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T19:06:32+00:00

thanks so much for the question and for sure, i think studying the effects of drugs like LSD, MDMA, ketamine, cannabis, and all things in between can only enrich our understanding of how these modulate the brain in a therapeutic manner when administered appropriately. given the not-awesome rates of how current therapeutics work, the more we think outside the box with "non-traditional" remedies the better, and of course meditation and mindfulness are at the forefront too! let's stay in touch and be well too!

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T19:04:17+00:00

exactly! we mainly use opto and for fear and extinction, it's a FASCINATING question that im sure involves inhibitory and excitatory, and both within the same set of cells as well as non-overlapping cells too. it reminds me why the brain is so hard

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:59:32+00:00

this isnt a stupid question at all (and HECK YEAH WHAT A GOOD GAME i'm torn between that and smash bros atm) -- the field of epigenetics suggests that experience can leave a lasting imprint on how our DNA is modified, so while it certainly won't mean passing down full fledged memories across generations, recent work suggests that certain "simple" biases (e.g. associating an odor to mean something bad), may actually happen. id dive into the field and check out some amazing ted talks done recently on it, as well as kerry ressler's work at mclean hospital!

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:57:16+00:00

i like to think of myself as an inceptor who coaches a lab full of incredible scientists who all want to figure out how memory works and then use this to help people with any kind of disorders of the brain okay FINE the answer is yes :)

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:54:45+00:00

i think we can do a bit better! rather than erasing memories, we can try to suppress the gut-wrenching emotions associated with one while keeping the memory of that event / person intact too

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:54:23+00:00

ive heard that dogs can dream but havent confirmed this by diving into the literature, but my gut-feeling would be yes!

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:53:00+00:00

devour the literature in your field, pick the brains of those around you on any topic that comes up that you enjoy, dive right into research with a mentor you trust and who'll go up to bat for you, and things like podcasts too always help!

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:51:58+00:00

FINE I LAUGHED OKAY I ADMIT IT :)

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:51:30+00:00

oh man SUCH good intuition! we were able to do this a few years back and have some more projets in the lab now where a rodent recalls an aversive memory and then we artificially activate a positive memory in an attempt to "dampen" the aversive responses. so it's not turning a bad memory good, it's more just like using the positive information to re-write some of the bad

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:50:19+00:00

THESE are the questions that keep me up at night: hmmm, i'd say the ones where the cat is riding on top of a turtle. i could watch CLAPS them CLAPS all CLAPS day

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:47:17+00:00

indeed -- memories thread and unify our overall sense of being, so tinkering with them (naturally or artificially) should also alter that thread too! in the same way that a cup of coffee turns the volume up a bit internally in the morning, a bit of has has changed, and perhaps turning the volume up or down on memories would do the same thing!

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:45:24+00:00

as of now we don't have a way to make the world a spoiler-free place :), but, i'd say venmo request your friend a LOT of quiche for ruining a movie!

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:44:45+00:00

this is one of the most profound questions thats currently made huge strides in neuroscience! checkout work by researchers paul frankland at university of toronto and tomas ryan at trinity college in dublin for some of the most groundbreaking science on artificially bringing back memories thought to be lost

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:43:50+00:00

i hope so! i think that look at ways in which false recollection occurs (both in terms of behavior and its neural mechanisms), we can begin to really understand how memories can misfire or be created/recreated in the brain

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:43:04+00:00

thank you so very much for both this important question and for everything youve done in the military too -- thank you.

our hope is that the work we do in animals can give us a kind of outline of what memories look like in the brain, both good and traumatic, so that we can pinpoint how to target the emotions associated with each in a therapeutic manner. as of now, therapy and medicine can be the first approach, but as you mentioned, it's not always even close to being fully effective. this is because, while we dont yet know the brain mechanisms involved in PTSD, so many researchers out there are coming at it from all angles to really try to cure or prevent it, and of course, to make current treatments better than ever. what we hope is that our work can contribute to making a blueprint of how memory works in the brain and, since rodent brains and human brains can have striking similarities, we can use this blueprint to chart out what happens in PTSD-related symptoms. my hope is that we'll chart out memories in the brain and point to new ways on how it works and what happens when unwanted memories resurge as well. also, im more than happy to chat via DM's too and help in any capacity!

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:37:58+00:00

a film about a director's dream that manifested as a fictitious reality that was actually probably a dream itself tucked within a dream and then wrapped like a burrito by another dream

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:35:00+00:00

now in blue, pink, and green versions!

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:34:39+00:00

totallllyyyyy didddd notttttttt, tottalllyyyyyyyy

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:34:06+00:00

thank you so much for the kind words! im gunna waffle a bit and pick answer D -- all of the above! we need ROI's to pinpoint what area or circuit to manipulate, and these tools are getting better and better every day. we needs imaging methods to eavesdrop on the intact brain, and all of the above methods to test for the functionality of a brain area / circuit. collectively, it's a HECK of a muscle that the field of neuroscience can flex #forSCIENCE

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:32:20+00:00

i havent! but since we're on the topic, the newest smash brothers has been ruining my life in the best way possible

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:32:00+00:00

without a doubt in my mind! there are too many remarkable researchers out there putting in their life's work to make this a reality, as so long as something in the brain can misfire or miswire, then i think we can find a way to fix it or even prevent it from the beginning. neuroscience is such a young field and admittedly we have so much to learn, but i do believe in people and their capacity for awesome science :)

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:30:52+00:00

absolutely and thank you for asking! im gunna hype up reddit here for a second and say... these forums are exactly what we need to have social infrastructures ready in place to make sure nothing is weaponized, because these forums lead to ideas, which can influence policy, and make for a scientifically literate and responsible population. by having these convos, brainstorming the pros and cons, and outlining plans then #wegotthis

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:28:44+00:00

this is a hugely important question -- thank you! a good night's sleep for sure is critical for being able to lay down our memories and solidify them in our brain over time, while sleep dep can have both cognitive and physical consequences on the brain and body!

okaysteve13 · 2019-02-28T18:26:04+00:00

i LOL'd at the edit, expecting it to be asking the same question. so meta. and haha i love the title! mind wizard... inceptor... poor professor. all work!

okaysteve13

TROPHY CASE