How to Change a Memory

A disarmingly personal account of the new science of memory manipulation by one of today's leading pioneers in the field.

As a graduate student at MIT, Steve Ramirez successfully created false memories in the lab. Now, as a neuroscientist working at the frontiers of brain science, he foresees a future where we can replace our negative memories with positive ones. In How to Change a Memory, Ramirez draws on his own memories of friendship, family, loss and recovery to reveal how memory can be turned on and off like a switch, edited and even constructed from nothing.

Scientists discovered that memories are fluid - they change over time, can be deleted, reactivated and even falsely implanted. But if we can erase a deeply traumatic memory, would it change who we are? Ramirez carefully considers the ethics of artificially controlling memory, exploring how we might use this tool responsibly - for both personal healing and the greater good.

A masterful blend of memoir and cutting-edge science, How to Change a Memory explores how neuroscience has reached a critical juncture, where scientists can see the potential of memory manipulation to help people suffering from the debilitating effects of PTSD, anxiety, Alzheimer's, addiction and a host of other neurological and behavioral disorders.

Steve Ramirez has been featured on CNN, NPR and the BBC and in leading publications such as The New York Times, National Geographic, Wired, Forbes, the Guardian, The Economist and Nature. An award-winning neuroscientist who has given TED talks on his groundbreaking work, he is associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University.