Annotated Bibliography : Memory Manipulation

In 1984, by George Orwell, the array of memories and dreams of Winston helps to convey his past and how he is dealing with the dystopian society. Everything Winston remembers and dreams of has a significant meaning to him and the readers. But, by the end of the book, Winston is tortured into forgetting everything and relearning everything the Party wants him too. The memories and dreams that are scattered throughout the novel are a key point to understanding Winston.

The formation of new memories requires protein synthesis dependent changes in synaptic structure and plasticity in the hippocampus. Studies in humans and animals suggest that these memories are initially stored in hippocampus but later transferred to cortex for permanent storage. This phenomenon is described as systems consolidation of memories. While the specific role for new protein synthesis in hippocampus in early encoding of memories is established, whether protein synthesis in medial prefrontal cortex play a major role in encoding of memories is unclear. To address this question, we used contextual fear conditioning (CFC) of mouse, a behavior training that induce long lasting memories. A single training session produces robust lifelong memory (8) that can be measured using automated procedures (9). Several studies have used CFC training as a model to study hippocampal-cortical communications and mechanisms underlying systems consolidation of memories. Contextual fear memories are initially stored in hippocampus and then moved to medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) for long-term storage.

Lately we were researching about electrical stimulation of the hippocampus. Some expertssaid that it causes temporary amnesia – Zapping Memories Away.

Alzheimer's, a progressive disease that destroys memory function. Although doctors and scientists have worked tirelessly over the years, there is currently no cure. Recently the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study, with Dr. Doris Greenblatt as one of their patients, to pave the way for brain electrode shocking therapy. These “well-timed pulses” would be implanted in the patient’s brain to enhance their poor functioning memory (Carey). Benedict Carey, a medical journalist for the New York Times, asserts in “Pacemaker for the Brain Can Help Memory, Study Finds” that using electrodes to target parts of the brain that don’t function properly “is a breakthrough moment” in alzheimer’s research (Carey). Carey supports this assertion by explaining

This essay is focusing on the current understanding of the neurobiology of memory reconsolidation and its implications for psychology. This paper will specifically focus on the molecular mechanisms of reconsolidation and research relating to fear memories and using propranolol and D-cycloserine as a treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Memory consolidation is the process by which memories are stabilised after being acquired. Consolidation studies have traditionally focused on the hippocampus and systems consolidation, where short term memories become long term memories and independent of the hippocampus over time (Pinel, 2011). The more recently discovered process of consolidation is synaptic consolidation, where memory is encoded within hours, and requires protein synthesis and gene transcription (Pinel, 2011). Long term memories were once considered to be stable, but within the last decade, the discovery of reconsolidation, the process in which stored memories can be retrieved and held in labile short-term memory, has changed theory and research on memory (Pinel, 2011). The potential ability to modify established emotional memories through the processes of reconsolidation has important implications for the treatment of many mental disorders, including anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

The route passed through the hardest-hit areas of the city, now an open clearing, officially stopping to watch the groundbreaking of schools, ribbon cutting of businesses, and unofficially stopping to admire the Spirit Tree and the Cross of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, two objects repurposed after the storm. At the end of the Unity Walk, bagpipers waited to lead participants into the park. The swell of people, as they crested the last hill, signaled the pipers to begin. The intensity of the emotion let loose emotions for many waiting to greet the walkers. Smiling through tears, an elderly gentleman I met the previous year, only days after the tornado, hugged me and said, “I’m so glad you were here to see this Joplin and not just the destroyed one.”

Memory is what creates the world around us: our sense of self, our relation to the people around us, and the world we inhabit. Without it, we would live in a cloud of confusion and a lack of purpose. With this in mind, what would we do if our brains began to deteriorate, often rapidly; if our memories disappeared, if we could not remember our parents, our children, our own names? These are some of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. While scientists and doctors diligently search for a cure for this debilitating disease, there are treatments to slow down the degeneration and temporarily improve

Live memory acquisition and analysis does not have that much attention, which is given to other acquisition and analysis techniques in the area of digital forensics. Live Memory Analysis can be very much productive for analysis. Live Memory Analysis can give a large number of details. It requires a greater amount of care than the other methods of

Hippocampal lesions in nonhuman primates such as rodents and monkeys drastically impaired their performance on memory tasks (Mahut, Moss, & Zola-Morgan, 1981; Zola-Morgan & Squire, 1986; Zola Morgan, Squire, & Amaral, 1989). Studies on the role of the hippocampus in humans with amnestic disorders revealed that the hippocampus is particular important for declarative memory, memory associated with events and facts (e.g., Cohen et al., 1997, Squire and Knowlton, 1995; Squire and Zola, 1996). Vargha- Khadem et al. studied three neurological patients with bilateral hippocampal pathology that originated in early childhood (1997). These individuals had difficulty remembering past events and experiences in their life. This finding and others suggests that although declarative memory encompasses both episodic memory (past events and experiences) and semantic memory (factual knowledge), the hippocampus is necessary for episodic memory, but not semantic memory (Hayman et al., 1993; Tulving & Markowitsch, 1998; Vargha-Khadem et al.,

Optogenetics has been used to show that activating a specific ensemble of hippocampal neurons that contribute to a memory engram can erase or even alter a memory. The purpose of the study was to use optogenetics and the addition of an external stimuli to try and create a false memory. Neurons of mice were labeled with a light-sensitive channel during the exploration of a safe room. Mice were then placed in a new room and given foot shocks while simultaneously using light pulses to activate the neurons that had been previously labeled in the safe room. After being placed back into the safe room, mice exhibited freezing responses. A false memory of fear was created in these mice as they demonstrated freezing behavior in the room in which they had not been shocked. Multiple methods have been used to manipulate neuronal pathways, and the fact that so many different methods already exist suggest a bright future for the discovery of a method that can be beneficial to humans. Understanding how the hippocampus functions is essential to understanding how psychological diseases affect memory, and this procedure has the potential to be a type of treatment. This study demonstrates how unreliable memories are, and how the complete manipulation of one can be accomplished simply by activating a specific neuronal population.

Memory development is important and as the child continues to grow, having additional memory strategies in place can ensure success during the child’s school years. Some children are different than others, meaning that the level of learning and attention span can be relatively different. Some children demonstrate great difficulty paying attention, when focusing on task that requires for them to stay focus can be a challenging. There are certain memory strategies that if properly implemented can make a difference in a child life. If a child uses rehearsal, or repetition when it comes to spelling or test memorization it can highly guarantee success when taking an exam. The second strategy that can be implemented is organization, this focuses

The human brain learns and forgets information through neuroplasticity in the hippocampus and other parts of the brain due to different stimuli acting upon those parts. Neuroplasticity takes place in various levels known as the cellular, population, network and behavioral levels (Bartsch and Wulff 2015). Neuroplasticity is defined as the brain’s ability to rearrange its structure or its function due to stimulation from external or internal sources (Bartsch and Wulff 2015). Neuroplasticity can be beneficial, or

Have you ever forgotten something that you wish you could remember? Or you're someone who puts something down in a “safe place” where you will remember where it's at then forget where that “safe place” was? Are you one of those people who everyone remembers something you said or did but you have no idea what they are talking about because you can't seem to remember it ever happening. You might just think that you have a bad memory but that isn’t the case. There’s actually no such thing as a having a “bad memory”. In your brain you have about one billion neurons which lead into forming about one thousand connections just for one neuron. So in the long run you have about a trillion connections for memories to go. You are

Even though my parents could be intimidating when talking to teachers at times, they were also very involved in the school. The first assignment that we had to produce this semester was a memory essay. This essay had us reflect on how our parents were involved in our schooling and whether or not their involvement was effective. from this assignment i relived that i believed that my parents were involved the perfect amount throughout my schooling, since they allowed me to become more independent as I got older, but also built the scaffolding of my work ethic and the importance of school when I was younger. My parents also, taught me at a very young age to always do my best and nothing less than that is acceptable. This did not mean that I had

Over three decades of research on memory distortion leaves no doubt that memory can be altered with the use of suggestive techniques (Loftus & Pickrell, 1995). Such suggestive memory manipulation procedures strongly encourage people to recall past happenings and have repeatedly been used to create reccollections of events that never took place (Lynn, Lock, Loftus, Krackow & Lilienfeld, 2003). Elizabeth Loftus pioneered research into the effects of misleading suggestive information on memory, (Loftus, 1979; Loftus, Miller & Burns, 1978, Wells & Loftus 1984) and since, , researchers have successfully implanted memories of a wide variety of ficticious events through use of suggestive questions and statements; eg that individuals spilled punch at a wedding (Hyman, Husband & Billings, 1995), that they broke a window with their hand (Garry, Manning, Loftus & Sherman, 1996; Heaps & Nash, 1999), or that they got lost before age 3 (Mazzoni, Loftus, Seitz & Lynn, 1999), amongst many others.