Professor Tim Bliss believes the human brain could be implanted with memories

A British scientist who in the 1970s helped uncover the foundation of memory, has spoken of the possibility of visiting a “synapse surgeon” in the future who could implant his brain, for example, with fond memories of spending the night with Marilyn Monroe.

The scenario sounds like science fiction, but it could actually happen in the near future, Professor Tim Bliss believes.

In 1973, Prof Bliss, working with and a Norwegian colleague, laid down the first detailed description of a brain process called long-term potentiation (LTP), now known to underpin learning and memory.