Ishrat Bombaywala
Plaksha University
Imagine waking up one day and not recognizing the faces of your loved ones. Imagine forgetting their voices. Their names slip out of your grasp like grains of sand slipping out of your hand. Everyday chores seem insurmountable, your home feels strange, and the memories that once defined you are gone.
For millions suffering from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia, this is an everyday reality—an erasure of self that is both heartbreaking and terrifying.
Neurodegenerative diseases are among the leading causes of disability and dependency worldwide. A major new study released by The Lancet Neurology shows that, in 2021, more than 3 billion people worldwide were living with a neurological condition. Alzheimer’s Disease International estimates that nearly 55 million people lived with Dementia in 2020, and this number is expected to double every 20 years. As of right now, someone in the world develops Dementia every 3.2 seconds. Moreover, Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death worldwide.
Unlike physical ailments such as a broken bone or an infection, neuro-related diseases present a far more complex challenge. While the brain is an organ, it is also the command center of our thoughts, memories, and identity - making its disorders especially difficult to understand and treat. Given the increasing prevalence of these illnesses, it has become imperative that we pay heed to what they mean and how they come about.
Let’s take a deeper dive.
Memory is the process by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved by our brain. But it isn’t just about remembering facts or recalling names—it’s the very foundation of our skills, habits, and identity.
At the same time, memory is also understood as the hypothesized part of the brain where traces of information and past experiences are stored. Molecular neurobiology has shown that memory is largely a neuro-chemical process. It is widely agreed upon that memories are formed due to changes in brain cells (neurons). They are believed to be ‘stored’ as structural changes in neural connections—either by strengthening existing pathways or forming new ones.
Further, information technology has led many to argue that cognition extends beyond human ability, that is, memory may be ‘stored’ outside of the brain. Consider smartphones, cloud storage, AI or even physical notebooks - all of which allow us to offload information rather than relying solely on biological recall processes.
Here we notice something interesting - Memory can be defined as both an ability and a place. This dual nature of memory explains why it can be both reliable and fallible. While memory is stored securely in our brain, its retrieval requires dynamic cognitive processes, which can sometimes distort or alter what we remember. Memory exists in different forms, each playing a distinct role in our daily lives.
Short-term memory (STM) is a temporary storage space that holds a limited amount of information for only a short interval of time. It’s like a mental notepad, holding onto small bits of information for brief periods. But this information isn’t meant to last. If it doesn't move into Long-term memory (LTM), it gradually disappears, much like a sandcastle before it is inevitably erased by the beach waves.
LTM is the brain’s ability to make thoughts more concrete - it allows us to store and retrieve information over a long period of time. It has two major categories. Declarative memory is the memory of facts, data, and events. This is what allows you to recall that Paris is the capital of France or reminisce about the events of your 18th birthday. Whereas, Procedural memory is responsible for skills and habits. It is the memory of how to do things. For example, the muscle memory of a gamer nailing a perfect headshot, or the instinctive balancing of a cyclist who hasn’t ridden in years. Unlike declarative memory, these are skills we don’t consciously think about—we just do them.
Although, many people see memory as a permanent record, like a video, it's far more dynamic. It comes as a surprising revelation to most that the brain is actually constantly reshaping itself! As of right now, your brain can undergo changes on the microbiological level that would affect the way you remember your own memories. This phenomenon is called Neural Plasticity - it is the ability to modify neural networks in the brain through growth and reorganization.
When we learn anything for the first time, our memory is fragile and quickly fades. Memory Consolidation is the process by which our brain strengthens those connections as we sleep or review the knowledge, storing it in long-term memory. Similarly, each time we recall anything, our brain reconsolidates that memory by temporarily reopening and reshaping it before storing it once more. This is called memory reconsolidation.
Scientists have realised that this opens up a very exciting possibility: altering traumatic memories. They are exploring ways to harness reconsolidation to help PTSD patients by modifying painful recollections, reducing their emotional weight without erasing them.
One among the most recent initiatives in understanding the connections in our brain is the Human Connectome Project (HCP), a pioneering initiative to create biologically accurate and intricate maps of the brain’s neural connections. The HCP has tackled one of the great scientific challenges of the 21st century: mapping the human brain, aiming to connect its structure to function and behaviour. It has 20+ connectome projects under it, including various connectomes to study all sorts of brains: young or old, healthy or ill.
In the timeline of neuroscience research, the Human Brain Project (HBP) comes right before the Connectome Project. The HBP was a €1-billion EU scientific research project that ran for ten years from 2013 to 2023. By creating and combining 3D maps of around 200 deeper brain structures, HBP scientists made the Human Brain Atlas through its successor project: EBRAINS. This atlas, described by Katrin Amunts, Director of HBP, as a “Google maps for the Brain” depicts the multilevel organization of the brain, from its cellular and molecular architecture to its functional modules and connectivity.
Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-chip company, recently caught attention for a brain-chip implantation that allowed Noland Arbaugh, a paralyzed man to control a computer with his thoughts. In an interview, Noland says “Sometimes I forget how impressive it is, because it’s so natural to me”. This remarkable discovery means that Noland is using a computer like anyone else; he’s just not moving his body at all. While Neuralink’s invention is one of many Brain-Computer Interfaces on the market, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has already transformed treatments for Parkinson’s disease and severe depression, with ongoing research into memory enhancement and chronic pain relief. Even companies like L’Oréal have joined hands with neurotech company EMOTIV to produce fragrances that can be personalized based on brainwave activity.
Beyond these current breakthroughs, engineers are developing neural implants to restore vision, wearable brain-fitness monitors, and AI-voice assistants embedded in the brain that will one day provide seamless access to all knowledge available online – integrated directly into our thought process.
As neurotechnology blurs the line between mind and machine, it raises urgent ethical questions like - Who controls brain data? Could brain implants be hacked? Could companies misuse neuro-data for advertising or surveillance? If technology can alter our thoughts, where do we draw the line? Privacy, autonomy, and equity must be carefully protected to make sure that these developments serve humanity rather than exploit it. As we push the limits of innovation, we must also define clear ethical boundaries it remains our duty to tread carefully into this new age of intersection between humans and computers.
The future of memory research is full of promise. From preventing memory loss to enhancing human cognition, Neurotechnology is unlocking doors we never thought possible. The quest to understand and harness memory is one of the most exciting scientific frontiers of our time. This is more than just progress; it’s a redefinition of intelligence, identity, and humanity itself.
Ishrat Bombaywala, a freshman at Plaksha University, is pursuing a major in Biological Systems Engineering. With a strong passion for Neuroscience, Neurotechnology, and Tech Law, she is eager to explore the intersections of these fields and contribute to advancements in science and technology.
