Surely each of us has moments in life that we would prefer to forget for one reason or another. How about replacing them with something nice? Or even "invent" memories? It sounds like a synopsis of the plot of the movie "Total Recall", based on the story of Philip Dick, but a group of scientists from the University of Oxford claims that such technology may appear very soon and they already have developments in this area.
Scientists themselves call their work as "creating memory prostheses." These studies are primarily aimed at treating amnesia and post-traumatic stress disorder. As lead author Laurie Pinecroft stated, “Memory implants are a very real technology. The prospect of changing and improving our memories may sound fantastic, but it has been proven time and again that it is possible."
Although the technology is still at an early stage of development, success has already been achieved through various methods. Basically, experts use neurostimulation to influence brain centers. In this case, both with direct contact (connecting electrodes) and with indirect (that is, non-invasive method), it is quite possible to achieve the feeling of "pleasant memories". True, without any specifics about the event. The question of building a visual series is still open.
However, these methods are already used today. For example, at the University of Oxford, neurostimulants built into the brains of patients are used to relieve symptoms of various diseases. Surgically implanted devices, resembling heart pacemakers, generate small pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain or spinal cord. For example, targeting a deep brain structure called the subthalamic nucleus relieves stiffness, sluggishness, and tremors in people with Parkinson's disease.
Vladimir Kuznetsov