In a study published in Molecular Pain, researchers at McGill University and SUNY Downstate Medical Center have found a new potential use for the chemical Zeta Inhibitory Peptide (ZIP), which was discovered 10 years ago to have the ability to erase memories in rats. The scientists showed that ZIP can be used to exclusively erase the memories which are left behind by persistent pain, and thus, ZIP may be the beginning of a new treatment strategy for chronic pain. By injection of ZIP into the spinal cord, the researchers demonstrated that the pain sensitization, which had been induced in rat hind paws by the chili-pepper irritant capsacin, was reversed.
