DailyDirt: Making Memories

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Wed, Aug 22nd 2012 5:00pm — Michael Ho

Sometimes remembering things isn't as easy as we'd like, and sometimes it'd be nice to be able to conveniently forget some memories. Plenty of folks are researching how memory works, but it's still a pretty big mystery exactly how our brains store so much information -- and which information to forget. Here are just a few interesting links on making (and un-making) some memories.

People with superior autobiographical memory can remember an amazing amount, but they're not savants, nor do they have photographic memories or use common memory tricks. Many of them also exhibit obsessive-compulsive tendencies, but researchers have only extensively studied about a dozen subjects with this ability so far. [url]
Currently, implanting false memories in lab mice involves some combination of genetic engineering, boxes, electrical shocks, brain implants and drug injections, and these procedures aren't recommended for humans (yet). Ten points for re-writing that sentence as a Tom Swifty. [url]
Erasing painful memories could be helpful for some people, but if reliable techniques are developed to make people forget certain events, what would people choose to remove? Therapeutic forgetting has some obvious benefits, but there could be unintended consequences for criminal trials and witness testimonies. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

Filed Under: brain, lab mice, memory, mind, superior autobiographical memory, therapeutic forgetting

11 Comments

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Vog (profile), 22 Aug 2012 @ 5:02pm

Currently, implanting false memories in lab mice involves some combination of genetic engineering, boxes, electrical shocks, brain implants and drug injections, and these procedures aren't recommended for humans (yet). Ten points for re-writing that sentence as a Tom Swifty.

Done:

While implanting false memories in lab mice currently involves some combination of genetic engineering, boxes, electrical shocks, brain implants and drug injections, the process to approve this for humans would be tortuous.
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- Vog (profile), 22 Aug 2012 @ 5:12pm
  
  Re:
  Does it have to be a quote? Fine, I'll take another stab at it:
  
  "Currently, implanting false memories in lab mice involves some combination of genetic engineering, boxes, electrical shocks, brain implants and drug injections," Michael pointed out, brightly.
  
  "--These procedures aren't recommended for humans," Bob quickly cut in.
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Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2012 @ 5:03pm

:-)
"People with superior autobiographical memory can remember an amazing amount, but they're not savants, nor do they have photographic memories or use common memory tricks. Many of them also exhibit obsessive-compulsive tendencies, but researchers have only extensively studied about a dozen subjects with this ability so far. [url]"

It's called Asperger's Syndrome :-) I have a particularly odd ammount of knowledge that at first I don't seem to remember, but I have a very strong database of a brain for trivia.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2012 @ 5:29pm

false memories
"Implanting false memories in lab mice involves some combination of genetic engineering, boxes, brain implants, drug injections and electrical shocks," Michael posts, currently, "but these procedures aren't recommended for humans (yet)."
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Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 22 Aug 2012 @ 6:13pm

Marilu Henner
Probably the most famous person with superior autobiographical memory.
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Lennart Regebro, 22 Aug 2012 @ 6:45pm

"Currently, implanting false memories in lab mice involves some combination of genetic engineering, boxes, electrical shocks, brain implants and drug injections", Tom recalled. "And these procedures aren't recommended for humans yet" he smiled savagely.
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- Blamer .., 22 Aug 2012 @ 6:53pm

"Currently, implanting false memories in lab mice involves some combination of genetic engineering, boxes, electrical shocks, brain implants and drug injections, and these procedures aren't recommended for humans (yet)" recollected the experimenters with increasing uncertainty.
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Pixelation, 22 Aug 2012 @ 10:31pm

I'm jealous...
I can't even remember where I slept last night.
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- Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2012 @ 11:58pm
  
  Re: I'm jealous...
  I thought I recognized you somehow =P
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2012 @ 11:07pm

"Currently, implanting false memories in lab mice involves some combination of genetic engineering, boxes, electrical shocks, brain implants and drug injections, and these procedures aren't recommended for humans (yet)" Tom added memorably.
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mikey4001 (profile), 23 Aug 2012 @ 11:57am

"Currently," Dean A. said with a shock, "implanting false memories in lab mice involves some combination of genetic engineering, boxes, electrical shocks, brain implants and drug injections."

He added inquisitively, "and these procedures aren't recommended for humans, yet?"
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