Wow, talk about a slam dunk! Shaun Saunders comes up with this fascinating and at the same time unsettling article from "The Independant" dealing with a startling breakthrough in how memory works.Scientists performing experimental brain surgery on a man aged 50 have stumbled across a mechanism that could unlock how memory works. The accidental breakthrough came during an experiment originally intended to suppress the obese man's appetite, using the increasingly successful technique of deep-brain stimulation. Electrodes were pushed into the man's brain and stimulated with an electric current. Instead of losing appetite, the patient instead had an intense experience of déjà vu. He recalled, in intricate detail, a scene from 30 years earlier. More tests showed his ability to learn was dramatically improved when the current was switched on and his brain stimulated.
Now it seems like I remember reading about findings that parallel these findings. As I remember reading, something along this line was first observed by physicians on the battlefield during the revolutionary war. As far as I had read, this was mostly tied to long term memories. As I recall, those experiencing the "stimulation" (we are talking of course of gross battlefield injuries to the head which allowed direct manipulation of the gray matter, nuff said ok?) experience no pain and perfect and total recall of the memories. On thing that was never discussed was the ability to learn. Yes, this could have profound impact on how one remembers, but also how one learns as well!
As Shaun puts it - 'We can remember it for you wholesale' by Phillip K. Dick
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