At a mere three pounds, the brain is the most complex organ in the human body. It contains 100 billion neurons and is capable of storing roughly 2.5 petabytes of data. This functionality is mind boggling–as is the fact that despite all this capacity, I can’t even remember where I put my phone. [1]
Some of the memories stored by the brain, such as childhood abuse and atrocities of war, can have a traumatic and negative impact on our lives. A handful of recent studies have shown that it may be possible to get rid of or even reshape some of our memories. One obvious motivation for this research is the potential that it will lead to treatments for depression, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). [2]
One study used electro-convulsive therapy immediately after memory recall to reshape memories. The researchers were able to effectively eliminate the memories of a story told to the study participants in the experimental group. [3] Other studies have shown that it is possible to delete and manipulate the memories of rodents through chemical intervention. [4] [5].
The idea that scientists can manipulate and delete our memory raises some ethical and legal questions. There definitely are some potential positive applications such as the treatment of PTSD. It also seems unlikely that someone could delete our memories against our will, although this may become an ethical concern in the future. However, there may be some cases where involuntary treatments are ethically ambiguous. For example, a parent might want to protect their child from the memories of a traumatic event. On the other hand, consider what would happen if mass groups of people chose to forget parts of our history such as war atrocities that have shaped who we have become. While there is an obvious interest in relieving people from suffering, there is also an interest in preserving history. [6] These hypotheticals raise difficult questions that the law will need to address as the research into shaping memories continues.