tcr
sage of six tabs
Recently scientists have identified the areas holding memories in the brain and have gone about implanting false memories, specifically in research on mice. In other experiments scientists found the area specifically forming a memory of a shock to the foot, and stimulated that area every time the mouse went to a specific area of their setup, thus forming a negative association to a behavior. Similar to experiments like the famous Little Albert experiment, fear was falsely introduced and the behavior was studied afterwards, and scientists found that the mice tended to avoid the areas that had been associated with the stimulation of the appropriate neuron. In the same experiment, the same neuron was tapped into to relay a positive message, that a certain shock to the foot can be associated with bonding with the opposite sex mouse, and the fear was replaced by feelings of pleasure. (source)
Tho direct manipulation of memories is far off in the future, as our understanding of how memories are formed and behaviors associated, and what can be done to manipulate them grows, it is probably not too far fetched to realize that we can translate our anthropomorphic manipulations to humans as well. The implications of this are the potential to help in a clinical setting. Instead of undergoing talk therapy one could have a "surgery" and facilitate the talk therapy, reaping all the benefits without the time needed to invest in it. Instead of dealing with things like PTSD, manipulation could occur so as the person affected does not process the emotions associated with their triggered attack, or potentially doesn't even remember their origin. Similarly treatment could be used to treat general anxiety disorders, which are often reflected as a function of behavior. Therapeutically memory manipulation could have serious impacts on the health of the general populace, and with as relative ease as getting surgery to fix arthritis. Some studies are even testing certain drugs that inhibit receptors in the brain, so just taking a pill to deal with certain phobias or trauma could be a realistic prospect.
Some consequences that might happen are the morality behind it. Is it truly ethical to erase, modify, or encode false memories in a patient, even with their consent? It's highly unlikely that our knowledge of the workings of the brain and the full function of memory is understood at the same level as manipulation of certain neurons are, so unintended consequences might happen. Deleting one memory or encoding a false memory could lead to situations like fugue or amnesia, not incorporating learned skills, or even new behaviors that arise from the manipulation. Naturally there is also the oversight approach, as if a readily available form of memory manipulation exists then it is likely to also be abused in some capacity, as every aspect of life is, and memory and autonomy is a much different and variable thing to change than say surgery.
What are your guys' thoughts on this? Is it ethical to manipulate memories? If not, why not? Are there any examples in which case it would be ethical, like treating PTSD?
Tho direct manipulation of memories is far off in the future, as our understanding of how memories are formed and behaviors associated, and what can be done to manipulate them grows, it is probably not too far fetched to realize that we can translate our anthropomorphic manipulations to humans as well. The implications of this are the potential to help in a clinical setting. Instead of undergoing talk therapy one could have a "surgery" and facilitate the talk therapy, reaping all the benefits without the time needed to invest in it. Instead of dealing with things like PTSD, manipulation could occur so as the person affected does not process the emotions associated with their triggered attack, or potentially doesn't even remember their origin. Similarly treatment could be used to treat general anxiety disorders, which are often reflected as a function of behavior. Therapeutically memory manipulation could have serious impacts on the health of the general populace, and with as relative ease as getting surgery to fix arthritis. Some studies are even testing certain drugs that inhibit receptors in the brain, so just taking a pill to deal with certain phobias or trauma could be a realistic prospect.
Some consequences that might happen are the morality behind it. Is it truly ethical to erase, modify, or encode false memories in a patient, even with their consent? It's highly unlikely that our knowledge of the workings of the brain and the full function of memory is understood at the same level as manipulation of certain neurons are, so unintended consequences might happen. Deleting one memory or encoding a false memory could lead to situations like fugue or amnesia, not incorporating learned skills, or even new behaviors that arise from the manipulation. Naturally there is also the oversight approach, as if a readily available form of memory manipulation exists then it is likely to also be abused in some capacity, as every aspect of life is, and memory and autonomy is a much different and variable thing to change than say surgery.
What are your guys' thoughts on this? Is it ethical to manipulate memories? If not, why not? Are there any examples in which case it would be ethical, like treating PTSD?