with an artificial memory chip, rats can remember & forget at the push of a button

“Flip the switch on, and the rats remember. 

Flip it off, and the rats forget,”

A new brain implant tested on rats restored lost memories at the flick of a switch, 

heralding a possible treatment method for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, stroke or amnesia. Such a “neural prosthesis” could someday be used to facilitate the memory-forming process and help patients remember.

The device can mimic the brain’s own neural signals, thereby serving as a surrogate for a piece of the brain associated with forming memories. If there is sufficient neural activity to trace, the device can restore memories after they have been lost. If it’s used with a normal, functioning hippocampus, the device can even enhance memory.