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HC177:Biotech&ArtMemoryRetrieverJackieBucher
Biology
Abstract
• Throughthecreationofamemorystoragedevice,theAmericanpublicwillhaveatechnologicalcuretodiseasessuchasAlzheimer's.Theelectricalimpulsestransportedbytheopticnervewillbestoredwithinthebodyandaremotewillbeinstalledinthearmsothattheusercansimplyrewindtoacertaindayandtimeandtheelectricalimpulseswillbereintroducedintothenerveandsenttothebraintobeprocessedasimages.Alzheimer'spatientswillbecomfortedwiththeirmemoriesonceagainandeveryothercitizenwillnevermisplaceanitem.Theintentistonottocurememorylossbuttoinventasystemofmemoryretrieval.
Concept
• Idesignedthememoryretrievaldeviceformultiplereasons.ThefirstandforemostforAlzheimer’spatientsthatsufferfromconstantmemoryloss.Secondlythedevicecanbeusedineverydaylifetohelponeremember.Thedevicecanalsobeutilizedinalargersocialcontextinthecourtsystem.Thememoriesstoredinthedevicecanbedownloadedandvisualizedonmediaplayersandusedtoconvictcriminals.Essentiallynoonewillbeabletoliewithoutbeingcaught,becauseanycrimewillbeseenthroughtheeyesofthecriminal.Anotheruseofthisdevicewouldbetospreadawarenessandasaneducationaltool.Thedatawillbemadeavailabletotheinternetbythewilloftheowner.Withthisaspect,memoriescanbeusedintheclassroomwithfirsthanddocumentationofhistoricincidents.Memorylibrarieswouldbethecentralsourceofinformationandmadeavailabletothepublic.
Context&Precedents
• Alzheimer’sdisease(AD)isaneurodegenerativedisorderthataffectsoneoutofeveryeightindividualsovertheageof65(1).Theexactcausesareunknownbutthediseaseislinkedtothebuildupofamyloidbetaproteinasplaquesandtauproteinastanglesinthebrain.ADultimatelyleadstoadisruptionofreasoning,language,planningandperception(2).
• Anothercommonlyusedtermthatisassociatedwithmemorylossisdementia.Dementiaisnotaparticulardiseasebutinsteadaclassificationofsymptomsthatareassociatedwithneurodegeneration.Lewybodydisease,strokes,Parkinson’sdisease,Multiplesclerosis,andHuntington’sdiseaseareallleadingcausesofdementia(3).
• Thosewhosufferfromamnesiawouldalsobenefitfromthememoryretriever.Amnesiaisamemorylossthatiscausedbyeitherphysicalinjurytothebrain,ingestionofatoxicsubstancethattargetsthebrain,oratraumaticoremotionalevent(4).
ProjectProposal
• Thememoryretrieverwillconsistofasmallwirethatintersectstheopticnerveandstoresallelectricalimpulsesintheforearm.Theimpulseswillbeavailabletobeexportedbyconversiontovisualimages.Thedevicemustactasthebraintoorganizethevisualstimuliintoanactualimage.Theywillalsobeavailabletobereintroducedintotheopticnerveandcontinuetheirjourneytothevisualcortexwheretheyareprocessedasmemories.
ProposalContinued
• EachpersonwillhavecontroloftheirownmemoriesthroughahandlessvisualprocessorsurgicallyimplantedonthearmwiththebasicfunctionsofaDVDplayer(stop,play,rewind,pause,etc.)Inordertoreplayone’sownmemoriesthesubjectwouldhavetoclosehisorhereyes,sothatthereisnolossoroverwritingbythedevice
Conclusion
• Withthememoryretrievaldevice,thethree“sinsofomission”thatmemoryresearcher,DanielSchacterdescribeastransience(lossofmemoryovertime),absentmindedness(lapseofattention),andblocking(momentaryinaccessabilityofstoredinformation)willallbecured(5).Thisdevicewillbemostusefulinthenearfutureasthebabyboomgenerationenterstheirlate60’sand70’s.Ithasbeenprojectedthatasmanyas10millionAmericanswillsufferfromAlzheimer’sby2050(6).Focusingonincreasongoneslifeexpectancyisinefficientwithsuchhighratesofdementiaintheelderlypopulation.Notonlywillthememoryretrievercomeofusetothosemostinneed,butwillalsorevolutionizeourjudicialandeducationinstitutions.
References
1HowardCrystal,“Alzheimer’sDisease.”MedecineNet.11Feb.2010http://www.medicinenet.com/alzheimers_disease/article.htm
2CarrieHill,“WhatCausesAlzheimer’sDisease.”About.com.3March2009.11Feb.2010http://alzheimers.about.com/od/whatisalzheimer1/a/causes.htm
3“Dementia.”A.D.A.M.2010.11Feb.2010.https://health.google.com/health/ref/Dementia
4JohnL.Miller,“Amnesia.”AtHealth.30Dec.2009.11Feb.2010http://www.athealth.com/consumer/Disorders/Amnesia.html
5BridgetMurray,“TheSevenSinsofMemory.”AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.2010.11Feb.2010http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct03/sins.aspx
6“Alzheimer’sAffectsaGrowingElderlyPopulation.”FisherCenterforAlzheimer’sResearchFoundation.12Feb.2007.11Feb2010http://www.alzinfo.org/newsarticle/templates/newstemplate.asp?articleid=212&zoneid=1
Bibliography/Links“Alzheimer’sAffectsaGrowingElderlyPopulation.”FisherCenterforAlzheimer’sResearchFoundation.
12Feb.2007.11Feb2010http://www.alzinfo.org/newsarticle/templates/newstemplate.asp?articleid=212&zoneid=1
BridgetMurray,“TheSevenSinsofMemory.”AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.2010.11Feb.2010http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct03/sins.aspx
CarrieHill,“WhatCausesAlzheimer’sDisease.”About.com.3March2009.11Feb.2010http://alzheimers.about.com/od/whatisalzheimer1/a/causes.htm
“Dementia.”A.D.A.M.2010.11Feb.2010.https://health.google.com/health/ref/DementiaDeborah,“AussieArtistImplantsThirsEarinHisOwnArm.”14Oct.2007.11Feb2010http://
images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lifeinthefastlane.ca/wp‐content/uploads/2007/10/HowardCrystal,“Alzheimer’sDisease.”MedecineNet.11Feb.2010http://www.medicinenet.com/
alzheimers_disease/article.htmJohnL.Miller,“Amnesia.”AtHealth.30Dec.2009.11Feb.2010http://www.athealth.com/consumer/
Disorders/Amnesia.html“TheWomanwhocanremembereverything.”09May2008.11Feb.2010.http://
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/1940420/The‐woman‐who‐can‐remember‐everything.html
www.aph.org/cvi/images/brain_2.jpghttp://rlv.zcache.com/play_pause_stop_rewind_bumper_sticker‐p128464525275020826trl0_400.jpg
