Meaghan Creed is the winner of the Science & PINS Prize for Neuromodulation for research that helps make sense of the biology underlying addiction.

New research with rats and human volunteers suggests a strategy to help ex-drug addicts avoid drug cravings. The approach involves modifying a person’s memories of past drug use, but unlike previous research in this field, the new method doesn’t involve administering memory-blocking drugs.

The fleeting thought of a candy bar is often enough to inspire a powerful sweet tooth. But if people go through the motions of devouring an entire candy bar in their mind’s eye—imagining each and every repetitive bite, chew, and swallow—then they would likely consume less of an actual candy bar if they had the chance to eat one, new research suggests.