MIT scientists implant a false memory into a mouse’s brain

[n2doc]

By Meeri Kim

Sometime soon, a lab mouse could wake up thinking he had snuggled up to a girl mouse the night before. But he hadn’t. The memory would be fake.

Scientists have successfully implanted a false memory into a mouse’s brain — a seemingly far-fetched idea reminiscent of a science fiction film.

“If mice had Hollywood, this would be ‘Inception’ for them,” said one of the lead researchers, MIT neuroscientist Steve Ramirez, whose study was published online Thursday in the journal Science.

Ramirez and his colleagues tagged brain cells associated with a specific memory and then tweaked that memory to make the mouse believe something had happened when it didn’t.

more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/inception-mit-scientists-implant-a-false-memory-into-a-mouses-brain/2013/07/25/47bdee7a-f49a-11e2-a2f1-a7acf9bd5d3a_story.html

[limpyhobbler]

1. Nothing in the article about the ethical dimensions of this research.

Is it right, is it wrong, what potential positive or negative uses does this have, do the potential benefits outweigh the potential for abuse, etc? Also weigh in something for the lives of these lab mice. Probably the ethical dimension is just lacking in science reporting generally. Not sure what made me think of it just now.

[Mojorabbit]

2. Why would anyone want to do this? nt

[n2doc]

3. PTSD

And other traumatic experiences. I can see this as an "Eternal Sunshine" tool to either remove specific traumatic memories or replace them with benign ones. Of course there is the potential for abuse as well.

[Mojorabbit]

4. Huge potential for abuse. Really almost outweighs any good it would do. nt

[House of Roberts]

5. Ever watch Total Recall?

The technology would be devastating in the wrong hands. Reality would be far beyond anything they though of for the movie.

[Jim__]

7. All of our understanding of the world is mediated by our brains.

A false memory is something we know about the world that is not true. Understanding how our brains can come to misrepresent reality may help us to more accurately understand the world. Is that important? I think it is. Is the potential knowledge worth the cost? That question transcends the value of this research. If we accept animal experimentation, then this knowledge seems worth it to me.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

6. LOL

Steve really believes he implanted a "false memory" into a mouse's brain !

Next year, I'm gonna make him think he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2011,
but Ralph Steinman spent $100 million to erase all record of it, and steal it for himself.

It will drive him CRAZY for about 3 years...

[SoLeftIAmRight]

8. Why so much spending on this research???

Lots of money has been poured into this area of "research" during the past 15 years. I know two "professional" witnesses that work in the Houston area that are use to undermine court testimony. Another bad wind blowing.

[gtar100]

9. Not a big deal. That's what republicans do with each other every day.

Of course, they are all willing participants, so that makes it different.