Could we soon IMPLANT memories into other people?
Electrodes in the brain may make Star Trek-style 'mind melds' a reality
Electrodes in the brain may make Star Trek-style 'mind melds' a reality
The US military wants to treat shell-shocked soldiers with memory loss
Two teams are testing electrical stimulation in epilepsy patients
Brain implants could also help people who have lost memory after strokes
One day, such implants may even be used to 'share memories' with others
By VICTORIA WOOLLASTON FOR MAILONLINE
From the Vulcan mind meld to Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve, there are countless ways in which people share memories in fictional films and TV shows. But such fantastical ideas could soon become a reality, using electrodes implanted in the brain.
Neuroscientists have already begun trialling implants that boost memory loss, and in the future they believe these implants could be used to replicate memories in the brains of others.
Research teams from the University of Southern California and University of Pennsylvania have been testing the technology on epilepsy patients.
These patients already have electrodes implanted in their brains, which means the experts didn't need to insert the prostheses in new patients through risky brain surgery.
The research centred on the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped part of the brain associated with the formation of memories.
The hippocampus gathers sensory information that is then transformed into short-term memories, between 15 and 30 seconds.
These can then form more lasting memories, but only if they are accessed while the hippocampus is storing them.
There is good reason to believe that the sharing of memory can happen'
Neuroscientist Ted Berger, University of Southern California
People with significant memory deficits typically have a damaged hippocampus. The USC team, led by brain implants expert Ted Berger, was interested in two particular areas of the hippocampus, called CA3 and CA1.
In particular, the team thought that an electrical signal travelling from CA3 to CA1 was key to memory formation.
Therefore, they tried to recreate a similar signal in order to restore the hippocampus' functionality.
To do this, the researchers monitored the brain of 12 epilepsy patients performing a memory exercise that included memorising pictures to see how CA3 and CA1 interacted.
Eventually, they developed a mathematical model to predict the pattern of the signal CA3 would fire to CA1. The predictions were correct 80 per cent of the time.
The USC team's idea is that brain implants could provide electrical stimulation resembling that key CA3 signal to improve memory in patients with hippocampus damage.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3370113/Could-soon-IMPLANT-memories-people-Electrodes-brain-make-Star-Trek-style-mind-melds-reality.html#ixzz3v6y87YQp
