Chemical transfer of learned fear: Failure to replicate Ungar

Georges Ungar and memory transfer

The idea that memories could be transferred from one organism to another by administration of a "trained" donor brain to a naive recipient seized both scientific and public attention in the 1960's and early 1970's. Georges Ungar was one of the earliest and strongest proponents of this idea, and he provided it extensive theoretical and experimental support. This paper reviews Ungar's work on memory transfer (and in particular on the scotophobin molecule), with an analysis of its successes and failures.

Synthetic rat scotophobin induces dark avoidance in mice

Two independent research groups replicate alteration of dark preference to dark avoidance by mice injected with synthetic scotophobin, a pentadecapeptide.