Making Memories with a Microchip

Feature

Friday, November 04, 2011

Ted Berger's brain microchip (Courtesy of Center for Neural Engineering at the University of Southern California)

Science and Creativity
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Ted Berger is trying to build a microchip that can remember things for us. He teaches biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California, and his goal is to create a device that can take over for the hippocampus of the brain, translating thoughts into long-term memories. But that’s a complicated task. “If they’re not transformed the way the hippocampus transforms them,” Berger explains, “then you can’t store them. That’s what it boils down to."

Berger would like to help patients with severe memory loss, but at the moment he’s teaching rats to pull a lever. He studies what happens when the rat learns a task — how the electrical signal of an individual thought moves through its brain.

If scientists can identify the electrical pattern of a thought, could they, one day, implant that thought or memory in another person — like the CIA assassin of The Bourne Identity (or countless other fictions)? Berger doesn’t think so, and he says we should be relieved. “Who we are is in large part defined by what we remember,” he explains. “I mean I don’t want to wake up one day with somebody else’s memories. I want my own, thank you.”

Contributors:

Sally Herships

Comments [4]

Body memories from .

After that, the skin is carefully lifted to eradicate the excess fats, while at the same time making the muscles and tissues tighter. This will be followed by tightly pulling the skin and cutting the excess skin away. Once all of these are finished, the incision will then be closed with the use of fine stitches and staples. The entire procedure generally takes about 2-5 hours. You undergo a general anesthetic and stay two nights in hospital.

Feb. 05 2012 05:47 AM

Score: 0/0

John Lemon from Xalapa, México

You are talking about "Total Recall" LOL, any crazy Philip K. Dick novel. What happens if that brain gets fried or that chip? I remember Robocop 2, hahaha.... Classic.

Nov. 23 2011 11:41 AM

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Eric

The early movie where implanted memories were a major plot point was 1995's "Johnny Mnemonic," written by William Gibson. More recent takes are "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Inception."

Nov. 09 2011 06:33 PM

Score: 0/0

Vic from .

As far as, implanting (false ~ enhanced) memories into the mind (memory chip) of "another"...Cosmetic Neurology... ( ? )
"Doctor?"....."Doctor Memory....!")
- I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus -

But I think you've got your movies memories mixed up...What movie was that...?
The Bourne Identity...?
Jason Bourne had memory loss as a result of traumatic stress, self assertion, & refusal... The Good Soldier gone BAD.
I believe "the movie" you're looking for is,
BLADE RUNNER
with reference of implanting soothing, & enabling memories into the (minds) of (almost perfect) human androids... Skin Jobs.
"Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep", Dick head.

Or, perhaps, even better, the movie,
A. I.

Then where are we supposed to go from here in this,
"Brave New World" ?
"Take it easy..."
in SOMA

Nov. 06 2011 01:19 AM

Score: 0/0

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