Memory Hacking: Scientists Discover How to Delete, Edit Unwanted Memories

Remember the films "The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Inception" where the main characters attempted to delete or edit memories of their past lovers? Well, scientists say that this could now be a reality.

Watch out heartbroken people, a new documentary from NOVA entitled "Memory Hackers" says that scientists have discovered how to hack and delete unwanted memories. According to a report from Telegraph, the documentary features the intensive research into the precise molecular mechanisms of memory and how humans can tweak it to their benefit.

In order to understand the ins and outs of memories, the scientists studied different individuals from Jake Hausler -- a 12-year-old kid diagnosed with a condition called Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, which gives him the ability to recall with considerable accuracy details of his life since he was eight years old -- to a woman who had memories implanted.

The film makers said memory has been considered like a "tape recorder" that registers and replays events in the past, but the study reveals that it is more "malleable" than previously thought. In fact, memories can always be "written and rewritten."

Merel Kindt, a clinical psychologist that works on phobias and anxiety, was also featured in the documentary, Gizmodo reports. Kindt shows how by just taking a common blood pressure medication, a patient with sever arachnophobia or fear of spiders could touch a live tarantula.

The work of psychologist Julia Shaw was also featured. Shaw attempted to implant a false memory to a patient, who, by the end of the experiment, was convinced that the implanted memory really happened.

“Forgetting is probably one of the most important things that brains will do. We understand only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to human memory," says neuroscientist André Fenton.