Memory’s a funny thing. The clinical definition of it is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. But it’s so much more.
It’s where our happiest moments are stored. It’s also what we’re most afraid of – the disease that eats it. There’s even something called “superior autobiographical memory,” which is very rare – the ability to remember each day of your life as if it happened yesterday, according to cbsnews.com.
Scientists have only identified a handful of people in the world who have it. These people can remember things like, what big sporting event occurred on Jan. 30, 1983? (John Riggins, Super Bowl, record 166 yards in 38 carries, 27-17 victory over Miami at the Rose Bowl), according to the LA Times. What disaster occurred on March 24, 1989? (The Exxon Valdez, worst environmental spill in the world at that time.) And what happened on June 4, 1989? (The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the Tiananmen Square massacre).
It’s also been the cause of much controversy, with the recovered memory syndrome that was attributed to women sexual abuse survivors, who didn’t remember till years later they’d been abused, and by doctors trying to refute it.
Human memory is a complex, brain-wide process that is essential to who we are, according to howstuffworks.com.
But what if you could restore the memories you’ve lost, and strengthen your ability to hold on to them? Or, when you’re learning a new fact, store it somewhere in your brain where you’ll never forget?
Well, scientists are doing it in rats with a brain implant that may lead to the repair of the brain from dementia, stroke and other brain injuries in humans.
It’s still a long way from being tested in humans, but the implant demonstrates for the first time that a cognitive function can be improved with something that mimics neurons, the core of our nervous system that controls our brains.
The rats were implanted with an array of electrodes that linked two neighboring pieces of the hippocampus, where the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory occurs, according to thedailybest.com.
The researchers then drugged the rats, effectively shutting down the implant, causing the rats to forget which lever to pull for food, as reported in the story at thedailybest.com. When they turned the array back on, the rats forgot about 40 percent of the time, according to the story at nytimes.com. And when they amplified the implant's signal, they forgot only 10 percent of the time, according to the article.
Scientists have long known about implants that allow paralyzed people to move prosthetic limbs or a computer cursor, using their thoughts to activate the machines, according to the story at nytimes.com. But this time they used some of the same techniques to read what goes on in our brains. And then they translated those signals internally, to improve brain function rather than to activate outside appendages, according to nytimes.com.
The authors said that with wireless technology and computer chips, the system could be easily fitted for human use, in the story at nytimes.com. But there are still obstacles to be overcome. The implant must first record a memory, or a trace of it, before playing it back, and in patients with significant memory loss, those signals may be too weak. In addition, human memory is a rich, diverse neural process that involves many other brain areas, in addition to the hippocampus, so the efficacy of the implant may be limited.
But still, it gives us hope that someday very soon, aging will not put such a strain on our brain.
Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.
Deborah DiSesa Hirsch is an award-winning health and technology writer who has worked for newspapers, magazines and IBM in her 20-year career. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
