The Personal Memory Maker

The Personal Memory Maker

By Vaishnavi Pernenkil 

            Imagine a brain implant that could improve your memory and cognitive abilities instantaneously. It seems as if such a device could only exist in science fiction, yet a recent article by the New York Times stated that such a device is currently being developed. Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University have developed a new implant that, “constitutes an array of electrodes embedded deep in the brain that monitor electrical activity and, like a pacemaker, deliver a stimulating pulse only when needed” (Carey). This device seems to have boosted cognitive and memory abilities in the brain similar to the targeted memory reactivation studies conducted by Dr.Paller.

            Dr.Paller’s studies showed that when patients were cued to a sound during sleep that were associated with their learning cues, their memory cognition improved when tested on these cues again. Similarly, this new electrode implant tries to decipher the waking mind and how memory formation occurs and can be improved. The possible applications of such a device seem to be limitless, but it seems as if the best implementation for such a device would be for patients suffering from degenerative disorders. This implant like Dr. Paller’s TMR has improved memory retrieval and memory cognition in their recent studies. A small electrical jolt, has shown to improve cognitive memory formation and the retrieval process itself. Dr.Kahana the man in charge of studying this recent device stated, “we found that jostling the system when it’s in a low-functioning state can jump it to a high-functioning one” (Carey). This new device could help improve cognitive abilities for many suffering from dementia or even Parkinson’s disease. The tales of science fiction are now becoming a reality, and these new devices could revolutionize the field of cognitive neuroscience. Isaac Newton once said, “What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean,” and with this new device it seems as if we are getting close to deciphering the unknown depths of the ocean.  

 

Works cited:

Carey, Benedict. “The First Step Toward a Personal Memory Maker?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Feb. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/02/12/health/memory-dementia-brain-implants.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience.

Newton, Isaac. “A Quote by Isaac Newton.” Quote by Isaac Newton:", 2018, www.goodreads.com/quotes/170098-what-we-know-is-a-drop-what-we-don-t-know.

Paller , Ken A. “Sleeping in a Brave New World: Opportunities for Improving Learning and Clinical Outcomes Through Targeted Memory Reactivation.” Association for Psychological Science, APS, 2017,