健忘常被認(rèn)為是大腦丟失了相關(guān)記憶,而英國(guó)一項(xiàng)最新研究發(fā)現(xiàn),,導(dǎo)致健忘的可能并不是真忘了,,而是大腦功能失常使得相關(guān)記憶混淆。
英國(guó)劍橋大學(xué)等機(jī)構(gòu)的研究人員在新一期美國(guó)《科學(xué)》雜志上報(bào)告說(shuō),,健忘源自記憶混淆的理論得到了動(dòng)物實(shí)驗(yàn)的支持,。過(guò)去研究顯示記憶功能受損而健忘的實(shí)驗(yàn)鼠不能區(qū)分熟悉和陌生的物體,但無(wú)法判斷其原因是記憶丟失還是記憶混淆,。研究人員因此設(shè)計(jì)了新的實(shí)驗(yàn),,讓實(shí)驗(yàn)鼠先熟悉一個(gè)物體,然后將其拿走,,一段時(shí)間后再放回原有物體或另一個(gè)新的物體,,觀察實(shí)驗(yàn)鼠的反應(yīng)。
通常,,正常的實(shí)驗(yàn)鼠對(duì)舊物體不太感興趣,,如果放回的是新物體則會(huì)探索相對(duì)更長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間,說(shuō)明它們對(duì)舊物體有較好的記憶,。但對(duì)記憶功能受損的實(shí)驗(yàn)鼠來(lái)說(shuō),,無(wú)論是舊物體還是新物體,探索的時(shí)間都差不多,表現(xiàn)出健忘癥狀,;更關(guān)鍵的是,,它們探索新物體的時(shí)間比正常實(shí)驗(yàn)鼠要短,說(shuō)明可能出現(xiàn)了記憶混淆,,錯(cuò)認(rèn)為對(duì)這個(gè)物體已經(jīng)比較熟悉了,。
參與研究的莉薩·薩克西達(dá)說(shuō),這好比一個(gè)健忘的人沒(méi)有按時(shí)吃藥,,并不一定是徹底忘記了應(yīng)該吃藥的時(shí)間,,而是記憶系統(tǒng)混亂,錯(cuò)以為已經(jīng)在這個(gè)時(shí)間吃過(guò)藥了,。
研究人員還在此基礎(chǔ)上找到了對(duì)應(yīng)的治療方法,,即減少環(huán)境中其他信息的影響。如果在通常充斥著各種信息的環(huán)境中對(duì)記憶功能受損的實(shí)驗(yàn)鼠進(jìn)行記憶測(cè)試,,它們表現(xiàn)并不好,,但如果讓它們呆在黑暗安靜的環(huán)境中,減少其他信息,,再進(jìn)行記憶測(cè)試,,則表現(xiàn)會(huì)有進(jìn)步。(生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推薦原文出處:
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1194780
Paradoxical False Memory for Objects After Brain Damage
Stephanie M. McTighe1,2, Rosemary A. Cowell3, Boyer D. Winters4, Timothy J. Bussey1,2 and Lisa M. Saksida1,2,*
Abstract
Poor memory after brain damage is usually considered to be a result of information being lost or rendered inaccessible. It is assumed that such memory impairment must be due to the incorrect interpretation of previously encountered information as being novel. In object recognition memory experiments with rats, we found that memory impairment can take the opposite form: a tendency to treat novel experiences as familiar. This impairment could be rescued with the use of a visual-restriction procedure that reduces interference. Such a pattern of data can be explained in terms of a recent representational-hierarchical view of cognition.