I absolutely loved reading the book Total Recall by Pierce Anthony. Long before they made a movie out of it. The author poses a fascinating concept - manipulating memories by tampering with the brain's wiring. This idea just became more plausible in light of a groundbreaking new study published in Current Biology that investigates the neurobiological mechanisms behind learning and memory formation. The researchers found that neural connections between “engram” cells, the neuronal networks encoding experiences, may physically embody informational content stored in the brain. By altering these connections, scientists may one day possess the capability to artificially install and erase real memories—making scenarios described in Total Recall closer to reality. Just as altered neuronal circuits led to synthetic recollections in Pierce Anthony’s intriguing novel, modifying the synaptic wiring between engram cells could potentially overwrite a natural memory. As a huge fan of Pierce Anthony’s creative vision, I am thrilled to see this research at the frontier of brain science paralleling the concepts around memory malleability posed in his inventive book. The emerging insight on engrams brings us steps closer towards making those futuristic fictions around memory manipulation into fact. I am not saying this a good thing and the thought of messing with a person’s memories seems scary, and far fetched to say the least.
However, if you are a Sci-Fi nut like myself you can’t help but wonder what we thought as crazy and futuristic may one day become a reality. In the book, the protagonist undergoes a memory implant procedure to change details about his past. Similarly, the engram cell research demonstrates how specific experiences translate into physical changes to neural wiring that encodes informational content. By manipulating these connections, scientists may one day possess the capability to edit memories—for better or worse.
Just as in Total Recall, where altered neuronal circuits led to synthetic recollection of events, modifying the synaptic wiring between engram cells could potentially overwrite a natural memory. The emerging insight on engrams in the Current Biology study parallels the themes around memory malleability posed in the book. By elucidating the biological mechanisms behind learning and memory formation in the brain, this research brings us steps closer towards the possibilities—both promising and alarming—depicted in futuristic fiction. The findings provide a framework for understanding how connectivity within engram cell networks shapes enduring representations of our experiences.
REFERENCE:
Ortega-de San Luis C, Pezzoli M, Urrieta E, Ryan TJ (2023) Engram cell connectivity as a mechanism for information encoding and memory function. Current Biology. PMID: 37992719. URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37992719 & https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0960-9822(23)01512-9
However, if you are a Sci-Fi nut like myself you can’t help but wonder what we thought as crazy and futuristic may one day become a reality. In the book, the protagonist undergoes a memory implant procedure to change details about his past. Similarly, the engram cell research demonstrates how specific experiences translate into physical changes to neural wiring that encodes informational content. By manipulating these connections, scientists may one day possess the capability to edit memories—for better or worse.
Just as in Total Recall, where altered neuronal circuits led to synthetic recollection of events, modifying the synaptic wiring between engram cells could potentially overwrite a natural memory. The emerging insight on engrams in the Current Biology study parallels the themes around memory malleability posed in the book. By elucidating the biological mechanisms behind learning and memory formation in the brain, this research brings us steps closer towards the possibilities—both promising and alarming—depicted in futuristic fiction. The findings provide a framework for understanding how connectivity within engram cell networks shapes enduring representations of our experiences.
REFERENCE:
Ortega-de San Luis C, Pezzoli M, Urrieta E, Ryan TJ (2023) Engram cell connectivity as a mechanism for information encoding and memory function. Current Biology. PMID: 37992719. URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37992719 & https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0960-9822(23)01512-9