To remember, or not to remember? Potential impact of memory modification on narrative identity, personal agency, mental health, and well‐being

Abstract

Memory modification technologies (MMTs)—interventions within the memory affecting its functions and contents in specific ways—raise great therapeutic hopes but also great fears. Ethicists have expressed concerns that developing and using MMTs may endanger the very fabric of who we are—our personal identity. This threat has been mainly considered in relation to two interrelated concerns: truthfulness and narrative self‐constitution. In this article, we propose that although this perspective brings up important matters concerning the potential aftermaths of MMT utilization, it fails to tell the whole story. We suggest that capturing more tangible potential consequences of MMT use, namely, its psychological ramifications is crucial both in ethical considerations and in making decisions regarding the permissibility of such interventions. To this end, we first examine what current MMTs are capable of and what are the prospects of emerging MMTs. Subsequently, we outline the relationship between memory and personal identity; specifically, we indicate that concepts of self‐defining memories and narrative identity are crucial to considering how MMTs may influence one's psychological functioning. On this basis, we analyze potential consequences of narrative disruption that may be the result of the use of MMTs; more precisely, we consider its potential effects on mental health, well‐being, and personal agency, and outline the ethical dilemmas that decision‐makers face in this context. We conclude by considering the broader cultural context that may have influence on policymaking regarding permissibility of memory modification interventions.

Neuromodulation and memory: exploring ethical ramifications in memory modification treatment via implantable neurotechnologies

“…While there is a prevailing concern that neuromodulation technologies could be employed to modify fundamental human value ( Aplin and Fridman, 2019 ; Goering et al, 2021 ), the ethical aftermaths arising from unforeseen side effects remain relatively unexplored from a practical perspective that considers both potential individual and societal ramifications. As the memory-modifying potential at stake is latent ( Won et al, 2020 ; Mihailov et al, 2021 ; Meyer and Benoit, 2022 ), it calls for ethical attention in order to safeguard a responsible development without hindering their promising therapeutic potential ( Zawadzki and Adamczyk, 2021a , b ). To illustrate these points, the study will now introduce a hypothetical case study.…”

“…For instance, a distinguishing feature of iBCIs is the possibility of selectively deactivating or dampening the emotional impact of undesired memories by inhibiting selected groups of neurons (Kolber, 2008;Han et al, 2009;Adamczyk and Zawadzki, 2020;Costanzi et al, 2021;Mihailov et al, 2021). Such a prospect of intentionally controlling our forgetting by modulating the stabilization process of a memory trace could erase the sting of bad memories or lessen their emotional intensity at will (Huff et al, 2013;Adamczyk and Zawadzki, 2020;Blitz and Barfield, 2023;Zawadzki, 2023).…”

“…In contrast to non-invasive alternatives, iBCIs pose more intricate ethical dilemmas, owing to their capacity to exploit advanced degrees of memory modification related to deliberate and selective alterations (Zawadzki, 2023), distinguishing them from other memorymodifying technologies, such as deep-brain stimulation and drugs, which lack temporal precision and operate non-selectively (van Duuren et al, 2007;Bazaka and Jacob, 2013;Trimper et al, 2018;Howell and McIntyre, 2021;Riva et al, 2021).…”

A Narrative Development Process to Enhance Mental Health Considering Recent Hippocampus Research

“…Narrative development is fundamental to human mental health and represents personal identity [1] to the extent that it takes highly toxic substances to erase well-consolidated narrative memories through disrupting hippocampal function [2]. It has been demonstrated there is a direct relationship among the hippocampus, narrative, and mental health such that developing a robust and effective personal narrative creates enhanced changes in the hippocampus [3] and can support mental health recovery through reframing and developing a more positive identity [4].…”

The Neuroethics of Memory: From Total Recall to Oblivion, by Walter Glannon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019

“…Furthermore, the erasure of a memory would appear to be irreversible (although thanks to optogenetics one might have the possibility to inactivate the recall of the memory trace in a non-definitive way). 9 In this sense, the caution urged by bioconservatives might be justified. But if one takes into account the autonomy of individuals and the possible progress of the techniques in question, Glannon's position is perhaps the most reasonable one, providing a good starting point to push forward or backward the moral limit to these kinds of interventions.…”