Neural prosthesis improves rats' memories

Vnend sez, "Researchers at the University of Southern California have created an artificial memory based on studies of how rats form memories. Not only did the chip(s) allow rats that had had their ability to form permanent memories blocked remember things longer than short-term memory would allow, the chips also worked in rats with functioning long term memory. Duplicating the work in primates is the next step."

"Flip the switch on, and the rats remember. Flip it off, and the rats forget," said Theodore Berger of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering's Department of Biomedical Engineering...
The paper is entitled "A Cortical Neural Prosthesis for Restoring and Enhancing Memory." Besides Deadwyler and Berger, the other authors are, from USC, BME Professor Vasilis Z. Marmarelis and Research Assistant Professor Dong Song, and from Wake Forest, Associate Professor Robert E. Hampson and Post-Doctoral Fellow Anushka Goonawardena.

A cortical neural prosthesis for restoring and enhancing memory (Journal of Neural Engineering)

USC: Restoring Memory, Repairing Damaged Brains (PR Newswire)

(Thanks, Vnend!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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turn_self_off

Worryingly cute rodent there.
xian

I can has image change?

http://cl.ly/1N3j202s0M301U2P1s3u
Palomino

Ben!
juepucta

“…primates is the next step”.

Don’t know about you guys, but i think on my last visit to the cinema James Franco was trying to tell me something. Hmm.

-G.
- Vnend
  
  Was it that improving long term retention of memories increases the ability to actually think more intelligently?
  
  It isn’t what you know, it is what you can do with it. If you know of a study that shows that remembering more makes one more intelligent, I would love to have a pointer to them.
Anonymous

I think I would love to be able to turn my memory on and off whenever a situation presents itself to be overwhelming.
Vnend

You’re welcome.

The long term goal is to be able to work around, or at least further our understanding, of Alzheimer’s. They probably won’t get to humans until it is too late, but I saw this and thought of Terry Pratchett. We can hope…
OldBrownSquirrel

Flip the switch on, and I remember “Flowers for Algernon.” Flip the switch off, and I… where was I?
emmdeeaych

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion….
Aknaton

That varmint totally looks like the memory machine was just turned back on.
yri

“Duplicating the work in primates is the next step…” with a test chimp named Caesar, no doubt.
Anonymous

“You will become one, with the Borg.”
Anonymous

I, for one, welcome our new yadda yadda yadda…
dolo54

I can carry nearly eighty gigs of data in my head. But now I have the Black Shakes.
dagfooyo

Old news, this technology has been around since the 70′s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xbmiNlvdJE#t=04m25s
- Angryjim
  
  Oh yeah. Dang. You beat me to it
Angryjim

http://angryjim.com/storage/EBEs.jpg