Memory Hackers

NOVA 'Memory Hackers' airs on WSKG TV on February 10, 2016 at 9:00pm.Memory is the glue that binds our mental lives. Without it we’d be prisoners of the present, unable to use the lessons of the past to change our future. But how does it work?For the first time, using cutting edge research, neuroscientists are exploring the precise molecular mechanisms of memory. By studying individuals ranging from a 11-year old whiz-kid who remembers every detail of his life since age eight, to a man who had his spider phobias vanquished, to a woman who even had memories implanted, scientists have uncovered a provocative idea. Instead of faithfully recording and replaying information, memory is malleable, always being written and rewritten – not just by us, but by others. photo credit: 11-year-old "super memory"kid Jake Hausler in fMRIscanner at WashingtonUniversity, WGBH.