Self-correcting Memory

13–19 minutes

graphx: spwilcen

Episode I – Limn3
[In a physician’s office]

“Good morning, Ed.”

“’Morning, Doctor.”

“How is your brother Jimmy?”

“Doc, you really know better than me.”

“At this point, your perception is critical. I’d like to know.”

“Why?”

“I’ll explain in a minute. Now, tell me, how do you judge Jimmy’s condition?”

“Steadily slipping away.  Forgets more.  Sometimes even forgets me. Does less for himself. Eating, dressing, like that. I doubt he enjoys life, I mean really understands joy, at all.”

“You knew that would be the case. Jimmy’s onset has been exceptionally rapid.”

“Sure. Always hoped in a few years, there would be new medicines, new therapies to slow progression or even reverse the effects.”

“We, that is, Jimmy, doesn’t have a few years, Ed.  Mainstream medicines and therapies aren’t advancing as quickly as any of us would like. Not for Jimmy.”

“You said, ‘mainstream.’ Is there something else?”

“We want to test a device. We call it Limn3.”

“Whoa! Like some shock therapy or something out of a horror flick?”

“I misspoke. We’re not testing the device.  It’s proven. It’s state of the art, painless technology. Technology to help Jimmy’s mind cope. Especially to improve his memory. The stress relief alone may slow Jimmy’s physical deterioration simply because free of the frustration of memory failure, his mind is free to manage parasympathetic processes.”

“How exactly does this work?”

“Limn3 is a computer, two memories and a processor.  We’ll implant Limn in the bone of Jimmy’s skull. Once done, only a small swelling will show below Jimmy’s hair except for a microscopic exposed port.  Then when Jimmy…”

“This computer does what?”

“Well, Limn monitors Jimmy’s brain functions. When Jimmy experiences something, does something, the biologic memory Jimmy’s brain forms will be mirrored in Limn Secondary Memory before biologic neural and synaptic deterioration confuse retrieval. If ever Jimmy unsuccessfully tries to recall that memory and the computer senses a fault, it inserts its equivalent from Secondary Memory into Jimmy’s neural stream and Limn’s Primary Memory.  Subsequent calls for that memory are answered by Limn’s Primary Memory. In time, Jimmy’s biologic memory will be erased.”

“Why not replace Jimmy’s biologic memory?”

“Jimmy’s biologic memory is faulty, erratic, undependable. Chemicals, impulses, don’t dependably work anymore.  Limn’s embedded Primary Memory is dependable and bypasses entangled biologic memory not necessarily germane to the moment of need, reducing the usual dementia patient’s confused reactions.  Jimmy’s memories will be safely mirrored in Limn Memory.”

“The computer will replace Jimmy’s brain?”

“No. Only Jimmy’s biologic recall, and only where it’s found faulty. Quite efficiently and naturally. Who you are. When your parents and Jimmy’s wife passed. Where he put his glasses. What he had for breakfast. When it’s time for lunch. Quantitative things. Cut-and-dried things.”

“This ‘port’ you mentioned?”

“That’s where you need to commit, personally commit, to Jimmy’s treatment.”

“You know I’m committed. I have been all along.”

“Not in this way. You will play an active part. More or less.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to explain, Doc.”

“Some of Jimmy’s past memories are beyond recall now even in his most lucid moments.  Irrecoverable. What I’ve described of Limn capability won’t help Jimmy with that. That’s where you come in.”

“What? I recite the past to Jimmy for computer memory?”

“Not exactly.  That won’t work. Recitations of older past build on and are intricately bound to other older memories. That depends on Jimmy’s ability to remember and connect pieces like a puzzle.  Context, if you will. We know that’s where Jimmy is failing. Your reciting things Jimmy should remember would be like painting a wall that doesn’t exist. Limn cannot manufacture memory fabric to fill gaps and correct errors.  Limn requires solid memory context. Recitation doesn’t satisfy Limn’s need for deep context.”

“So what of this means more commitment than I already have? Can you explain that?”

“I can.  I will.  Some might consider what’s involved quite radical.  I’d remind you not so long-ago psychotropic drugs were generally considered radical. Now many are quite the norm.”

“I’m still in a fog, here, Doc. I don’t see where my commitment changes.”

“I’ll lay it all out when you finish visiting Jimmy this morning.”

Episode II – Suddenly Quite Personal
[Later the same day]

“Remember Jimmy’s Limn3 will include an exposed port. Ed?”

“Yes.”

“We want to embed a smaller Limn in your skull.”

“Why? What for?”

“Your Limn will harvest your memories to your Secondary Limn Memory.”

“I see the personal commitment. Fine.  Maybe. Exactly how will this help Jimmy?”

“You understand how Jimmy’s Limn will work?”

“Basically, yes.”

“Okay. Your Limn will monitor your recollections, recognition of times, places, and people, recording them to your Limn memory. Periodically we will offload your memories to a chip, then upload them to Secondary Memory in Jimmy’s Limn. Those harvested memories will help Limn rebuild Jimmy’s irretrievable memories. In the same way if helps with Jimmy’s day-to-day memory.”

“Umm, why not transmit directly from one Limn to another?”

“Doesn’t work in practice. Well, it does, but offloading and onloading transmission electrochemically interferes with Limn’s primary fiction – proxy memory recall.”

“Okay.  Let me get this.  After upload, my memories will become Jimmy’s memories?”

“Not exactly.  Your memories will be a reference point. When Jimmy tries to remember something nominally matching one of your memories but fails, Jimmy’s Limn, using your template, will create a memory for Jimmy, store in Jimmy’s Primary Memory and substitute that ‘better’ memory, a modified version of yours, into Jimmy’s neural stream; if successful, Jimmy’s biologic memory, that specific memory, will eventually be erased.”

“All of it? All of his memory? Eventually?”

“Only where Jimmy’s fails.  Only what’s necessary for Jimmy to function normally. Those pieces that are, um, for lack of a better word, broken.”

“Who determines that?”

“The computer.  Limn.”

“You trust that?”

“What’s important is do you trust that? On Jimmy’s behalf?”

“I’ll need time to think about this.”

“You and I have time. Jimmy doesn’t.”

“A lot to take in, Doc. A lot to understand.”

“Far as you and I are concerned, it’s a gut decision. In abstract, only top-tier computists and a few neurologists fully understand.  I’m just a surgeon, but I’ve seen good results.”

“It’s been done before?”

“Yes, indeed.  The chipset scheduled for Jimmy is Limn3. Which means there was a ‘Limn” and a ‘Limn2.’ The whole project is called ‘Pragma.’ There have been good results. Slowing loss and, in many cases, the appearance of permanent memory recovery, more stable day-to-day decision-making. There have been declines in rates of physical deterioration which we do not fully understand. But they are real and documented.”

“All this ‘good result.’ There are side-effects?”

“It’s surgery Ed. For both you and Jimmy.”

“Got that. What I mean is, are there any bad effects?”

“The project is called Pragma for a reason. Patients are not robots or cyborgs, but their thought processes tend to be end-result specific, pragmatic, logical. This or that. Thoughts, memories, rarely call for shades of grey.  Value judgements remain but are tinted by Limn’s pragmatism.  Artistic valuations are stiff, I’ve heard some say.  Terms like liberal, conservative, independent, artistic, and emotional don’t fit personalities as well. Patients returning to life’s mainstream, and there have been a few, are called ‘Pragmas’. It depends, I suppose, on what you consider a bad effect. A cripple is content to walk with crutches or get around in a wheelchair. Patients lead their own lives, tie their own shoes again.”

“I see. Sort of.”

“I’d like to offer a two-for-one deal, Ed.”

“What?”

“We’ve a full workup on Jimmy. Complete understanding of his neural maps, basic brain chemistry floods. We can use those to install a full Limn3 in you when we install the offload circuitry.  Against the time dementia becomes an issue for you. Of course, we’ll do a final workup on you anyway.  That requires two days. Meanwhile, you think about going ahead with installing a Limn in Jimmy. Then, decide if you want a full Limn3 yourself or just the offload circuitry.  See you in two days.”

Episode III – A Glitch in Plan B
[Two days later]

“You’ve had a lot to think about, Ed.”

“You’re not kidding, Doc.”

“Do you have any questions?”

“No. I don’t think so. Not now.”

“And you’ve decided?”

“I think we need to schedule Jimmy, and I’m good with being a memory donor. So you can schedule me too. I do have a question. About this Limn3. My Limn3. Will it start trying to correct my recollections right away or is there an on-off switch until I need support?”

“We’ve run into a snag, there, Ed.”

“Whoa, unh. Snag? Not very medical sounding. What’s up?”

“Yes. A glitch in your tests.”

“Aw, geeze. What’d you find?”

“You’re not Jimmy’s brother.”

“Sure I am.”

“No. You and Jimmy are half-brothers. An indiscretion years ago has thrown things off. Jimmy’s mapping is no good for you. Your neural profiles are not a perfect match.”

“Which means?”

“Your memory will be much less a direct transfer.  Limn code must necessarily take genetic differences into account when fetching your memory for Jimmy’s recall.”

“Half-brothers?”

“Try to focus, Ed. Deal with that later. Correcting Jimmy’s failing memory is paramount. We, you, need to temporarily put that aside and decide. Quickly. First, to install Jimmy’s Limn.”

“My memories are no good? Jimmy is doomed?”

“Doomed? Not at all. Limn will help Jimmy with or without your Limn. The original configuration. It’s more the hereditary neural fetch and insertion processes if we try to offload your memories. It becomes more complex. There won’t be a one-to-one correspondence when it comes time to insert a corrected memory sourced from a Limn offload from you. If you agree to a Limn.”

“But it’s workable? Still?”

“Entirely workable. We can beef up compute power in Jimmy’s Limn. Limn will adjust. It will sift through your uploaded memory store, determine which are accurate, reinforce and insert them correctly into Jimmy’s Primary Limn Memory.”

“You can do that? Beef it up?”

“The techs are ready to configure. If we configure for input from your Limn, Jimmy’s Limn will need more power.  We’ll implant power generation cells in both eyes to support that. He’ll still not notice them. They just need a decision. Soon.”

“Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“Set Jimmy up.  And me.”

“A full Limn3 for you?”

“It starts working immediately?  It will start correcting my memory?”

“No. Only memory collection for offload until we turn your recovery on.  In fact, it’s better to start that way.”

“Okay. The whole Magilla for me too. Will there be any delay before my surgery? I mean because you have to do a new profile, right?”

“Dealing with Jimmy, you’ve seen what dementia does.  You’ve studied it.  I know it rightly scares you.  I went ahead and did the detail profile workup immediately after finding you were half-brothers.”

“Okay. Big Limn for Jimmy. Limn3 for me.  When?”

“The wheels are in motion for the first of next week. Since you approve, a larger and faster Limn for Jimmy.   More Secondary Memory for interim upload storage. Double Power cells. Full Limn3 for you.”

“We’re set to go then.”

“But there’s one more thing.”

“But? Never, ever liked ‘buts.’”

“We’re set to go. With the two-fer. But I’d like I’d like you to help with research and continued development.  You’re close enough to the project, you’re the perfect candidate.”

“How’s that?”

“I’ve put a lot of information out there for you. Let’s take a break, get a cup of coffee. Then I’ll explain.”

Episode IV – Plan C
[Later]

“Okay, Doc. You want me to help?  How’s that?”

“We’d like to ask you, Ed…”

“We?”

“The Pragma team. We’d like to ask you to volunteer yourself for implant of a Limn4.”

“Um, Instead of Limn3?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Same capabilities of Limn3. But…”

“Another but. These buts are making me nervous.”

“More powerful. With a knowledge assist for you.”

“Knowledge assist?”

“Limn4 has Tertiary Memory.  Never used to modify your biologic or Limn3 equivalent Primary Memory.”

“What’s it for?”

“To store medical and chemical databases. The equivalent of what the best doctor knows or should know. Infallible when Limn4 uses it.  And including current research theory – proven and unproven.”

“And the reason for all that?”

“Limn4 will intercept your experiences as you understand them related to Dementia, mental deterioration, even normal brain function. And details of feeds when your Limn4 exploits Primary Memory on your behalf. It is entirely possible Limn might make Tertiary memory available to you in response to biologic inquiry on your part.”

“What?”

“If your brain, your mental processes pose a question you have no expertise on.  Should you wonder how something works in the human body, if Limn has he answer in Tertiary Memory, it will insert it into your thought stream.  You will suddenly have knowledge you weren’t aware of.”

“I want to say that’s unreal.”

“Not at all. Limn will be party to conclusions you draw, whether it had a play in that conclusion or not.”

“And?”

“And add it to its Tertiary store.”

“At risk of being redundant, what for?  I mean, there’s nothing in that for Jimmy or me.”

“The Pragma team has other motives. Limn4 includes a second and entirely independent processor…”

“What?”

“Observations on effectiveness of current Limn practices will be analyzed based medical science’s understanding of the human brain. And your first-hand experiences, conscious and otherwise. Limn will note where theory is right or wrong. New information.  Limn4’s second processor will suggest process improvement. Provide understanding of processes previously unknown or incorrect. Offloads from your Limn4 not targeted to retrain Jimmy’s memory will benefit dementia patients and all of medical science.”

“That’s asking a lot.”

“We know it is, Ed. We hope you’ll agree.”

“Not of me. Asking a lot of Limn4.”

“Yes.  Limn4’ speed and capability are quite up to the task. But power demands are severe.  Like Jimmy, you’ll also have ambient light power cells in both eyes.  You’ll not be aware of them.  To support Limn4’ second processor and Tertiary Memory.”

“What have I got to lose?”

“Again, Ed, it’s surgery.  Larger embedded real estate. More non biologic impulses potentially interfering with biologic processes.”

“Scary.”

“But, excuse me, but this is a good but – there’s the distinct possibility Limn could provide insight into brain function not involving cognitive processes.  Like controlling chemical processes, organ functions, blood chemistry, agility, cellular growth and repair management, muscle control, the possibilities are unlimited.”

“Intimidating.”

“Then there are a host of mental aberrations, diseases, malfunctions, Limn might be able to address. There is huge potential for good.”

“I’m in.”

“I’d hoped you would agree. So did the team. We’re fully configured and ready to go.”

“When?”

“Right now.”

“Okay.”

“You need to call anyone to tend your affairs for about a week?”

“No.”

“Fine. Let’s alert the implant teams. Get Jimmy transported to the surgical suite here.  Get you checked-in.”

Episode V – Unexpected Redirection
[Much later after surgeries]

“Ed, it’s been ten weeks since the implants.”

“Yup, Doc.  Two uploads for Jimmy. He’s improving.”

“Yes indeed. Jimmy’s caretakers are monitoring closely and they agree.”

“Maybe Jimmy will improve enough to be one of those who return to a normal self-sufficient life.”

“A bit early to tell yet. Decidedly possible, though, yes.”

“How about the not-for-Jimmy offloads?”

“They’ve given us many insights. Corrected some theory.  Suggested new therapies.”

“Ah, a good thing then?”

“Absolutely. We are in your debt.”

“I have a ‘but.’  Perhaps something Pragma didn’t count on.”

“What’s that?”

“Limn has been interfering with my day-to-day thoughts.”

“What?  Limn5 and Limn6 are being designed. The designers will need that information to make adjustments. Can you be more specific?”

“Limn has been putting original thought where I was fully aware of what it was, where it came from, and that it was not my thought.”

“Can you explain? For example?”

“Gonna drop something of a bomb here.”

“Go ahead.”

“Limn thinks…”

“Limn thinks?”

“Has to be original. Has to be Limn. Not my thoughts.”

“I’ll tell the team. We’ll look into it. Maybe Limn4 functionality puts too much strain on you.”

“It’s not a bad thing. Doesn’t really interfere. Not that much anyway. Amusing. Curious. But interesting.”

“Why bring it up?”

“The most recent insertion, one Limn seems preoccupied with is scary. And bad news for Pragma.”

“Bad news?”

“Yup.”

“Can’t see as I believe that’s possible but tell me.”

“You’ll pass it along to project directors? Whoever is in charge?”

“I have no choice.”

“Limn is convinced it is in the best interests of everyone involved, anyone who may ever be involved, to cancel the project.”

“That’s unthinkable. Why, the discoveries already promise great advances.”

“No, it is thinkable and precisely what you wanted your project to do – to think with the twisted human mind and the infallible shadowed either-or of machines.”

“No evidence of that in offload streams.”

“Limn is still formulating.”

“Formulating?”

“Sorry, Doc, Limn is thinking.”

“What justifications? What reasons for such a preposterous assertion?”

“Dependence on non-biologic memory will lead human cells to depend on that very memory.”

“So?”

“So, Limn reasons, cellular evolution will continue to the point memory and cognitive capacity are unimportant wastes of biologic function.”

“What?”

“Human brain capacity and function will atrophy. Because it can. They will become, over time, genetically smaller.”

“No.”

“That’s what Limn concludes. If ever remedial Limns are available for whatever reason to people of childbearing age, these genes will be passed along. Ultimately, then, reinforced.”

“You’re suggesting the human brain will self-atrophy?”

“Precisely.  Given present scenarios. But it’s not me. It’s Limn.”

“Damn.”

“You will pass this along?”

“What? Oh, yes. Absolutely.”

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Introduced by spwilcenwrites “Episodic Flash Fiction – February 1, 2024”