Fearful memories can be wiped out for at least a year using a drug-free technique, according to a study done in USA. The technique exploits the way that human brains store and recall memories. When a long-term memory is recalled, it goes through a brief period of vulnerability, after which it must be stored anew to be remembered again. While the memory is in its fragile state, it can be modified or disrupted. Studies in animals have used drugs to interfere with this reconsolidation process, stirring hope for therapies to blunt the haunting memories associated with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. These experiments have helped to understand reconsolidation, although a study done earlier this year in humans used a drug that can treat high blood pressure, called propranolol. Now, psychologist Elizabeth Phelps have developed a way to interfere with fear memories in humans using a behavioural technique, and the results last for at least a year.