How Our Brains Make Memories- page 5 | Science | Smithsonian
Memories are stored in a region of the brain called the
hippocampus, shown in red in this computer illustration. (Photo
Researchers, Inc.)  How Our Brains Make Memories  Surprising new
research about the act of remembering may help people with post-
traumatic stress disorder  Smithsonian Magazine | Subscribe
(Continued from page 4)  Even now, Brunet says, the drugs and
psychotherapy conventionally used to treat PTSD do not provide
lasting relief for many patients. “There’s still plenty of room
for the discovery of better treatments,” he says.  In Brunet’s
first study, PTSD patients took a drug intended to interfere
with the reconsolidation of fearful memories. The drug,
propranolol, has long been used to treat high blood pressure,
and some performers take it to combat stage fright. The drug
inhibits a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine. One possible
side effect of the drug is memory loss. (In a study similar to
Nader’s original experiment with r