This sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
Scientists at University of Southern California and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have developed new brain technology that makes it possible to re-encode memories in people suffering from memory loss.
The brain relies on electrical signals to create memories, but when those signals are damaged or deteriorated it makes it harder for people to retain memories. This new technology allows for electrodes implanted in the brain to reconnect those signals and allow for short-term memories to be made into long-term memories.
The implants have performed well in laboratory testing in animals and are currently being evaluated in human patients. How is brain technology advancing? And what will this implant mean for people suffering from brain damage and memory loss?
Guest:
Ted Berger, professor of biomedical engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering