Oct 15, 7-9PM | Doors @ 6PM
With Dr. Matt Lattal, Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at OHSU.
Advance tickets recommended; $5 suggested donation
Science Pubs are a casual lecture series held in two locations across Portland. Grab a drink and get comfy as you learn about how fearful memories form and what we can do about them, with Ghosts of the Past: Fear and Memory Erasure. Recommended for ages 10 and over.
About the lecture:
Years of research on the neurobiology of learning and memory have delineated key brain mechanisms involved in processing fear. These mechanisms can be engaged by fun fear, such as an unexpected “boo!” on Halloween or the anticipation that builds in a scary movie. With more intense experiences, these brain mechanisms can become hyperactivated leading to a debilitating inability to inhibit memories associated with an especially traumatic event. These traumatic experiences often result in anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in which the stress and anxiety associated with certain memories can have a lasting impact. Although pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral interventions for these disorders are helpful, long-term treatments remain a challenge.
An open question currently being investigated in the neuroscience of memory is whether we can erase these fearful memories. In this presentation, I will review what we know about the neuroscience of fear and memory erasure, and offer caveats about what it means to erase memories scientifically and ethically.
Dr. Matt Lattal is a Professor in the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience at the Oregon Health and Science University. He received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego and his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He has been on the faculty of OHSU since 2005. Matt has published over 80 papers on basic behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of learning and memory.
Zoom Option
If you are unable to join us in person, you can watch on zoom. You must register in advance using this link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Click here to sign up for the Science Pub Newsletter.
Questions? Email sciencepub@omsi.edu
Ticketing questions call 503.797.4000 x0
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are unable to join us in person, you can watch on zoom. You must register in advance via the ticketing page. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
To guarantee a seat at this event, we recommend you purchase your ticket in advance. Please show your ticket at the check-in table in front of the theater upon arrival.
We will always have tickets available at the door. They are first-come, first-served and admission will remain a suggested donation.
Kennedy School Theater has everything from pizza to burgers to popcorn and candy. Food and drink are welcome in the theater. No outside food or drink is allowed.
It is free to park in McMenamins Kennedy School parking lot and there is plenty of free street parking in the neighborhood.