Interview with Ted Berger of USC on their hippocampal prosthetic project in Popular Science magazine
To summarize the most interesting info from the interview:
Berger’s team is trying to make a hippocampal prosthesis (a chip that could be implanted in the hippocampus and help people with damaged hippocampuses). (we’ve mentioned Berger’s team’s efforts before).
He admits that he doesn’t understand how the hippocampus functions in memory, but argues that you may be able to make a prosthesis without this understanding: “A repairman doesn’t need to understand music to fix your broken CD player.”
The first crucial test will be done later this year by Sam Deadwyler at Wake Forest. He will implant the chips in rats, deactivate their hippocampuses with drugs, and see if the prosthetic helps.
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