Forgetting Fear
Daniela Schiller, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Can we change or even erase memories? Neuroscience research is unravelling the cognitive and biological mechanisms that make memories malleable upon retrieval, allowing for memory modification. This line of research promotes a paradigm shift in the way we view memory – no longer an accurate stable representation of a life event, but rather a dynamic process biologically designed for updates and revisions. Gaining a deeper understanding into the workings of emotional memory in the human brain would also elucidate the biological basis of psychiatric diseases such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
A recent film on trauma memory and reconsolidation, featuring Dr. Schiller and her father, a Holocaust survivor, was shown as part of the presentation. To view a clip, please click on the link below.