How to change a memory : one neuroscientist's quest to alter the past / Steve Ramirez.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ramirez, Steve (Neuroscientist), Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ramirez, Steve (Neuroscientist)--Friends and associates.

Ramirez, Steve.

Liu, Xu, 1977-2015--Friends and associates.

Liu, Xu.

Memory transfer--Research.

Memory transfer.

Psychophysiology--Research.

Psychophysiology.

Lasers in neurology--Research.

Lasers in neurology.

Optogenetics--Research.

Optogenetics.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xvii, 238 pages ; 25 cm

Other Title:

One neuroscientist's quest to alter the past

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2025]

Summary:

"A disarmingly personal account of the new science of memory manipulation by one of today's leading pioneers in the field. As a graduate student at MIT, Steve Ramirez successfully created false memories in the lab. Now, as a neuroscientist working at the frontiers of brain science, he foresees a future where we can replace our negative memories with positive ones. In How to Change a Memory, Ramirez draws on his own memories-of friendship, family, loss, and recovery-to reveal how memory can be turned on and off like a switch, edited, and even constructed from nothing. A future in which we can change our memories of the past may seem improbable, but in fact, the everyday act of remembering is one of transformation. Intentionally editing memory to improve our lives takes advantage of the brain's natural capacity for change. In How to Change a Memory, Ramirez explores how scientists discovered that memories are fluid-they change over time, can be erased, reactivated, and even falsely implanted in the lab. Reflecting on his own path as a scientist, he examines how memory manipulation shapes our imagination and sense of self. If we can erase a deeply traumatic memory, would it change who we are? And what would that change mean anyway? Throughout, Ramirez carefully considers the ethics of artificially controlling memory, exploring how we might use this tool responsibly-for both personal healing and the greater good. A masterful blend of memoir and cutting-edge science, How to Change a Memory explores how neuroscience has reached a critical juncture, where scientists can see the potential of memory manipulation to help people suffering from the debilitating effects of PTSD, anxiety, Alzheimer's, addiction, and a host of other neurological and behavioral disorders."-- Publisher, inside front flap of dust jacket.

Contents:

Acknowledgments

Introduction: A Memory of a Memory

PART I

1. The Hundred-Year Quest for the Engram

2. The Shape-Shifter

3. Do You Want a Spotless Mind?

4. More to Remembering Than Truth

5. The Antidote from Within

PART II

6. A Second and Forever

7. You Are What You Remember

8. So Long Lives This, and This Gives Life to Memory

Notes

References

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-227) and index.

Other Format:

Online version Ramirez, Steve How to change a memory

ISBN:

9780691266688

0691266689

OCLC:

1500170862

Publisher Number:

9780691266688 (hardback)