A groundbreaking breakthrough in neuroscience reveals the power to manipulate memories, opening doors to new possibilities for treating diseases like Alzheimer’s and mental health conditions. Can we unlock the secrets of human remembrance?
The Power to Manipulate Memories: A Breakthrough in Neuroscience
Understanding Memory Formation
Memories are not storable liquids or files that can simply be deleted. They are made when a person has an experience that triggers electricity to course through connections between the brain’s neurons. The more exposure to an experience someone has, the stronger the connections become. However, these connections can also weaken over time, leading to forgetting.
Strengthening Memory
Neuroscientist Robert Hampson is inspired by the idea of being able to pull a memory and store it like Dumbledore’s Pensieve. He and his team have found that applying electric zaps to the brain can help people form stronger memories. The team recorded electrical activity in the hippocampus, a brain structure involved in memory, of nine people with epilepsy who had brain implants. As the volunteers took a picture-based memory test, the team documented neuron-firing patterns linked to seeing specific images.
Next, the group applied tiny electric zaps that mimicked those patterns to the hippocampus in eight other volunteers as they took the same memory test. Those participants’ memories for images paired with the small jolts improved by 35 to 40 percent. Their memory did not improve for pictures not paired with zaps.
Brain implants are neuroprosthetic devices implanted in the brain to restore or enhance cognitive and motor functions.
They consist of electrodes, sensors, and microchips that interact with brain tissue.
Implants can be used for treating neurological disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and depression.
Research is ongoing to develop implants for paralysis, memory loss, and other conditions.
According to the FDA, over 20,000 people worldwide have received brain implant treatments since the 1990s.
In the future, brain implants might deliver tiny zaps to help boost memory in people with Alzheimer’s or brain injuries, Hampson says.
Weakening Memory
Other scientists are looking into whether it’s possible to help people forget certain memories. Experiences can change how neurons connect to each other, and changes in these connections encode, or store, the memory of the experience, many researchers think. However, ‘you can interfere with that encoding,’ says neuroscientist Samuel Schacher of Columbia University.
Samuel Schachter is a Swiss-born American immunologist. He is best known for his work on the immune system and cancer research. Born in 1936, Schachter earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Basel. He conducted extensive research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His studies focused on tumor biology, immunology, and molecular oncology. 'His work has led to a deeper understanding of cancer development and immune system interactions.'
His team studied neurons from mollusks called sea hares: Two sensory neurons each connected to the same motor neuron, which controls muscle movement. Each connection is moderated by a different form of a molecule called PKM. By stimulating these cells in lab dishes and inhibiting one type of PKM molecule, the team could selectively block a connection without affecting the other. The findings hint that it’s possible to erase some memories while leaving others intact.
The Ethics of Manipulating Memories
Changing a person’s memories could, in some ways, cause them to be a different person, says neuroscientist André Fenton, a neuroscientist at New York University. ‘Our lived experiences — and memories of them — make us who we are.‘ He emphasizes that we must proceed very carefully when exploring the possibility of manipulating people’s memories.
André Fenton is a prominent American neuroscientist known for his work on memory and learning.
He received his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego.
Fenton's research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying memory formation and retrieval.
His studies have investigated the role of hippocampal neurons in spatial memory and the effects of stress on memory consolidation.
Fenton has published numerous papers in leading scientific journals and has been recognized with several awards for his contributions to neuroscience.
A Future with Memory Manipulation
As researchers continue to explore the possibilities of memory manipulation, it’s essential to consider the implications for our understanding of identity and human experience. While the idea of altering or erasing memories may seem like science fiction, it could have significant benefits for treating diseases such as Alzheimer’s or mental health conditions like PTSD.
The future of memory manipulation holds much promise, but it also raises complex questions about the nature of self and memory. As we move forward in this field, it’s crucial to approach these issues with caution and a deep understanding of the potential consequences.
- sciencenews.org | Memory manipulation is the stuff of sci fi. Someday it could be real
