Researchers Create Short-term Memories In Rat Brains 114
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers say they've found a way to store artificial short-term memories in isolated brain tissue. 'This is the first time anyone has found a way to store information over seconds about both temporal sequences and stimulus patterns directly in brain tissue,' says the study's lead. 'This paves the way for future research to identify the specific brain circuits that allow us to form short-term memories.' The peer-reviewed study can be found here (paywalled)."
Re:They managed to make (Score:2, Insightful)
I was going to suggest testing on politicians, one step up from rats.
Re:any plans on long-term memory? (Score:2, Insightful)
It certainly does sound as if you are an anomaly and a very interesting one at that. I'm sure the nearest university cognitive science department would be quite pleased to make your acquaintance, especially if you are willing to participate in a study of your ability. Seriously, get in touch with someone and tell them about this; it may provide a significant benefit for all of us.
Re:Putting Tin Foil hat on.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, they know that the plaques impair brain function by inference, they don't understand how, because no one knows what a memory is. Face it, we know a lot about the physical structure of the brain, but we don't really know how it works. Asserting that we understand the process of memory because we know a few things about a disease linked to memory is false equivalence. It's equally disingenuous to suggest that knowing more about how memories are formed, stored, and accessed would have no practical benefit when trying to understand and treat diseases which affect memory.
Re:Putting Tin Foil hat on.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Agreed. We currently devote how many years to creating people with knowledge? What if instead of taking 22, 26, 35 or more years to gain the necessary knowledge and experience to start up in a field you spent 18 years maturing socially and two hours downloading 100 years of knowledge and experience?