End Times

MIT Neuroscientists Successfully Plant False Memories In The Brain

MIT neuroscientists have shown that they can plant false memories in the brains of mice. They also found that many of the neurological traces of these memories are identical in nature to those of authentic memories.

Published

12 years ago

July 25, 2013

Geoffrey Grider

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RELATED STORY: The Mark Of The Beast

The sinister implications of this story are so great that it boggles the mind. We live in a day and age where even our thoughts will no longer belong to us. Certainly, this unsaved world that we live in is preparing itself to meet Antichrist. Want to avoid that fate? Click here if you would like to miss his arrival.

From MIT: The phenomenon of false memory has been well-documented: In many court cases, defendants have been found guilty based on testimony from witnesses and victims who were sure of their recollections, but DNA evidence later overturned the conviction.

In a step toward understanding how these faulty memories arise, MIT neuroscientists have shown that they can plant false memories in the brains of mice. They also found that many of the neurological traces of these memories are identical in nature to those of authentic memories.

“Whether it’s a false or genuine memory, the brain’s neural mechanism underlying the recall of the memory is the same,” says Susumu Tonegawa, the Picower Professor of Biology and Neuroscience and senior author of a paper describing the findings in the July 25 edition of Science.

The study also provides further evidence that memories are stored in networks of neurons that form memory traces for each experience we have — a phenomenon that Tonegawa’s lab first demonstrated last year.

Neuroscientists have long sought the location of these memory traces, also called engrams. In the pair of studies, Tonegawa and colleagues at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory showed that they could identify the cells that make up part of an engram for a specific memory and reactivate it using a technology called optogenetics.

Lead authors of the paper are graduate student Steve Ramirez and research scientist Xu Liu. Other authors are technical assistant Pei-Ann Lin, research scientist Junghyup Suh, and postdocs Michele Pignatelli, Roger Redondo and Tomas Ryan.

Seeking the engram

Episodic memories — memories of experiences — are made of associations of several elements, including objects, space and time. These associations are encoded by chemical and physical changes in neurons, as well as by modifications to the connections between the neurons.

Where these engrams reside in the brain has been a longstanding question in neuroscience. “Is the information spread out in various parts of the brain, or is there a particular area of the brain in which this type of memory is stored? This has been a very fundamental question,” Tonegawa says.

In the 1940s, Canadian neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield suggested that episodic memories are located in the brain’s temporal lobe. When Penfield electrically stimulated cells in the temporal lobes of patients who were about to undergo surgery to treat epileptic seizures, the patients reported that specific memories popped into mind. Later studies of the amnesiac patient known as “H.M.” confirmed that the temporal lobe, including the area known as the hippocampus, is critical for forming episodic memories.

However, these studies did not prove that engrams are actually stored in the hippocampus, Tonegawa says. To make that case, scientists needed to show that activating specific groups of hippocampal cells is sufficient to produce and recall memories.

To achieve that, Tonegawa’s lab turned to optogenetics, a new technology that allows cells to be selectively turned on or off using light.

For this pair of studies, the researchers engineered mouse hippocampal cells to express the gene for channelrhodopsin, a protein that activates neurons when stimulated by light. They also modified the gene so that channelrhodopsin would be produced whenever the c-fos gene, necessary for memory formation, was turned on.

In last year’s study, the researchers conditioned these mice to fear a particular chamber by delivering a mild electric shock. As this memory was formed, the c-fos gene was turned on, along with the engineered channelrhodopsin gene. This way, cells encoding the memory trace were “labeled” with light-sensitive proteins.

The next day, when the mice were put in a different chamber they had never seen before, they behaved normally. However, when the researchers delivered a pulse of light to the hippocampus, stimulating the memory cells labeled with channelrhodopsin, the mice froze in fear as the previous day’s memory was reactivated.

“Compared to most studies that treat the brain as a black box while trying to access it from the outside in, this is like we are trying to study the brain from the inside out,” Liu says. “The technology we developed for this study allows us to fine-dissect and even potentially tinker with the memory process by directly controlling the brain cells.”

Incepting false memories

That is exactly what the researchers did in the new study — exploring whether they could use these reactivated engrams to plant false memories in the mice’s brains.

First, the researchers placed the mice in a novel chamber, A, but did not deliver any shocks. As the mice explored this chamber, their memory cells were labeled with channelrhodopsin. The next day, the mice were placed in a second, very different chamber, B. After a while, the mice were given a mild foot shock. At the same instant, the researchers used light to activate the cells encoding the memory of chamber A.

On the third day, the mice were placed back into chamber A, where they now froze in fear, even though they had never been shocked there. A false memory had been incepted: The mice feared the memory of chamber A because when the shock was given in chamber B, they were reliving the memory of being in chamber A.

Moreover, that false memory appeared to compete with a genuine memory of chamber B, the researchers found. These mice also froze when placed in chamber B, but not as much as mice that had received a shock in chamber B without having the chamber A memory activated.

The researchers then showed that immediately after recall of the false memory, levels of neural activity were also elevated in the amygdala, a fear center in the brain that receives memory information from the hippocampus, just as they are when the mice recall a genuine memory.

These two papers represent a major step forward in memory research, says Howard Eichenbaum, a professor of psychology and director of Boston University’s Center for Memory and Brain.

“They identified a neural network associated with experience in an environment, attached a fear association with it, then reactivated the network to show that it supports memory expression. That, to me, shows for the first time a true functional engram,” says Eichenbaum, who was not part of the research team.

The MIT team is now planning further studies of how memories can be distorted in the brain.

“Now that we can reactivate and change the contents of memories in the brain, we can begin asking questions that were once the realm of philosophy,” Ramirez says. “Are there multiple conditions that lead to the formation of false memories? Can false memories for both pleasurable and aversive events be artificially created? What about false memories for more than just contexts — false memories for objects, food or other mice? These are the once seemingly sci-fi questions that can now be experimentally tackled in the lab.”

The research was funded by the RIKEN Brain Science Institute. source – MIT

Related Topics:False Memories mark of the beast MIT RIKEN Brain Science Institute

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End Times

FUN FACT: It Is Alcohol That Is The Number #1 Cause Of Preventable Deaths Here In America Not Illegal Drugs Coming Over On Boats From Narcoterrorists

Published

2 weeks ago

December 4, 2025

Geoffrey Grider

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It is alcohol consumption and not illegal drug use that is the number #1 cause of preventable death that’s killing a massive number of Americans yearly

For decades we were told that the greatest threat to American life and liberty came from illegal drugs—cocaine, meth, fentanyl, heroin. And to be sure, those substances have destroyed countless lives. But as new national research continues to roll in, a shocking truth has emerged: the legal, government-sanctioned “social drink” is killing far more people than the substances our leaders claim to be waging war against. A message to President Trump – if you really want to stop the killing from drug use, ban the drug we call alcohol. Alcohol kills far more people than illegal drugs do.

“Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” Proverbs 23:29-32 (KJB)

In this present Laodicean age, where pleasure is the new morality and self-indulgence is the national pastime, alcohol is quietly claiming lives at a rate that far surpasses illicit drug use. The world shrugs. The media yawns. And Christians—many of them—have learned to justify the very thing that is destroying their own households. So as far as I’m concerned, this whole national dialogue about Narcoterrorists killing Americans with illegal drugs doesn’t hold a candle to the millions of kids who are taught to become alcoholics at MLB and NFL stadiums.

A Legal Substance With Illegal-Level Destruction

Recent mortality data reveals that alcohol-related deaths have skyrocketed, overtaking illicit drugs as a major cause of preventable death in the United States. The numbers include liver disease, alcohol-induced organ failure, drunk-driving fatalities, alcohol-fueled violence, and deaths tied to long-term addiction. Yet unlike illegal drugs, alcohol enjoys full cultural acceptance, full government protection, and full corporate marketing power behind it. There is no stigma. No shame. No national warning campaign. Alcohol is celebrated in commercials, sports events, holidays, weddings, even in some so-called “church fellowships.” No Christian should ever drink it, and no preacher should ever stay silent about it.

Because the Bible is not silent. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). In God’s preserved Book, alcohol is never neutral, never harmless, and never “safe in moderation.” Its end is always destruction. America used to know that when preachers like DL Moody and Billy Sunday stood in the pulpit.

NO ONE PREACHED HARDER AGAINST THE DANGERS OF ALCOHOL THAN BILLY SUNDAY, CLICK TO ORDER THIS AMAZING BOOK!!

Big Alcohol: A Multibillion-Dollar Industry Built on Broken Homes

If Big Pharma profits from addiction, Big Alcohol might be even worse. Billions of dollars flow through an industry whose survival depends on one thing: repeat customers. The light drinker is not their business. Their real money comes from people they’ve addicted who can’t stop.

And what do we get in return?

Tens of thousands of deaths every year
Millions of broken marriages
Abuse, violence, poverty, and imprisonment
Children raised in instability
Generational trauma that repeats itself like a curse

This is not an accident. This is the fruit of a system that has normalized what God has condemned. But we were warned: “At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” (Proverbs 23:32)

Why Christians Are Losing the Battle Before It Even Starts

The saddest part is not what the world is doing with alcohol—it’s what the Church is doing. In this lukewarm Church Age, professing Christians defend alcohol more strongly than they defend the Bible! They insist that “Jesus made wine,” ignoring the scriptural distinctions between fermented and unfermented wine. They argue that drinking is fine “as long as I don’t get drunk,” as if voluntarily consuming a mind-altering substance is some kind of Christian liberty badge. It isn’t.

This is not liberty. It is bondage masquerading as freedom.

The apostle Paul writes, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Notice the contrast: one spirit empties you of discernment; the Holy Spirit fills you with it. Alcohol reduces, diminishes, and destroys. The Spirit edifies, strengthens, and sanctifies. But you don’t know that because your pastor doesn’t preach that.

America isn’t merely drunk on alcohol. She is drunk on self-justification, convinced she can handle what is handling her.

When Noah emerged from the ark into a brand-new world, the very first recorded sin was drunkenness and alcohol-induced shame (Genesis 9:20-24). When God describes the fall of Babylon in Revelation 17–18, the imagery again involves intoxication—nations made drunk with spiritual fornication. Alcohol is not just a social issue; it is a spiritual picture of a people dulled, numbed, and desensitized right before judgment falls. America is not dying because of what is illegal, but because of what is celebrated. “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.“1 Peter4:7 (KJB)

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Christian Persecution

Street Preacher In England Warned By Police Office That The John 3:16 Scripture On The Back Of His Van Could Be Considered ‘Hated Speech’ Crime

Published

1 month ago

November 8, 2025

Geoffrey Grider

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Street preacher Mick Fleming in England was recently warned by police over the John 3:16 Bible verse he placed on the back of his van that it could be considered ‘hate speech’

I was browsing my news feed this morning when I came across this article on a street preacher in England, Mick Fleming, who lives in a van and ministers through his Church On The Street ministry. I have never heard of this guy before, know almost nothing about him, but I got saved on John 3:16, so anytime I see an article about that verse it always catches my attention.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJB)

The world is changing rapidly, the spirit of Antichrist is rising, and this lost world is preparing itself from the coming 7-year kingdom. England is a nation that have embraced Socialism, Islam and the LGBTQ, kind of sounds like America, doesn’t it? Any nation who embraces those things inevitably will, at some point, turn again the Bible and the people who believe the Book. Don’t think it could happen here? That’s what every people group thinks right before it happens. Use what freedom you have left, Christian, while you still have it to use. That’s the memo.

Police officer warns Prince William’s vicar friend that John 3:16 Bible verse on his van ‘could be considered hate speech

FROM THE DAILY MAIL UK: Pastor Mick Fleming has been warned by a police officer that the bible verse on the back of his van ‘could be considered hate speech’. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Mick said: ‘I just thought “wow”. I just wondered what people watching this thought.

‘It’s not to argue but where have we moved to as a country where a bit of Christian scripture on the back of a van can be seen as hateful or spiteful? Maybe society is moving to a place where they don’t want faith-based people sat around a table in discussion with them… for me it’s an integral message of how real change is possible.’

The law says it could be considered hate speech if the wording is threatening or inciting hatred based on protected characteristics such as religion or sexual orientation.

Mick insisted that he has no plans to remove it as he asked his viewers to give their opinions on whether the scripture could be deemed as offensive.

He said: ‘I am not going to change it, I am going to leave it one but I thought it quite interesting about how it can be perceived. I have never thought about that being something spiteful or hateful in any shape or form. I wondered what you thought – do you think people would take offence to that, and if they did, why?’

Displaying bible verses publicly is generally lawful in the UK. But the law says it could be considered hate speech if the wording is threatening or inciting hatred based on protected characteristics such as religion or sexual orientation. After recently giving up all of his belongings, Mick now lives in a campervan which has the bible verse John 3:16 printed on the back.

The verse reads: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Now the priest has revealed he was approached by a police officer while at a petrol station in Lancashire, who told him ‘the writing could be seen as hate speech in the wrong context’. Despite being told he wasn’t there to arrest Mick, the officer said that ‘if someone reported it police would investigate, and he could end up in trouble’. READ MORE

Church on Wheels: Could this Bible verse be seen as hate speech?

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

End Times

REVELATION WARNING: A 51-Foot Idol Of Lord Ram Rises Up Over Mississauga As Canadian Government Calls The Event A ‘Moment Of National Significance’

Published

4 months ago

August 6, 2025

Geoffrey Grider

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A 51-foot idol of Lord Ram in North America was unveiled on Sunday at the Hindu Heritage Centre in Mississauga in Canada.

The Bible is quite clear, in the last days after the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church, Antichrist will come on the scene and he will be a very religious entity. So much so that the people in that dispensation will be having a 7-year revival of Old Testament idolatry. Not content to wait, they are getting the party started a little early. That’s the memo.

“And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:” Revelation 9:20 (KJB)

The idol of the Hindu god Ram up in Canada stands at an impressive 51 feet high, but he has company. Down in Texas, a 90-foot idol is up in Sugar Land, a 25-foot idol is up in Hockessin, Delaware, with plans to install a massive 151-foot idol in Moncure, North Carolina. Kinda makes you think that someone has a plan to make idolatry great again here in America, doesn’t it?

North America’s tallest Ram god idol rises in Mississauga Canada

FROM THE HINDUSTAN TIMES: Thousands of devotees gathered for the inauguration, joined by prominent political leaders including Minister of Women and Gender Equality Rechie Valdez, President of the Treasury Board Shafqat Ali, and Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu. Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons was also in attendance, marking the event as a moment of national significance.

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The unveiling of North America’s tallest Lord Ram statue in Mississauga sparked emotional reactions across social media. “From Ayodhya to Ontario, the name of Shri Ram echoes louder than borders. This is not just a statue, it’s a statement of faith and identity standing tall across the world,” wrote one user. Another noted, “Toronto, Canada: The tallest Murti of Bhagwan Shri Ram now stands tall in Mississauga — a proud moment for the global Hindu community In a land where Hindus have faced rising hostility from fringe Khalistani elements, this Murti is more than a symbol of faith — it’s a statement of resilience, peace, and presence. Sanatan stands tall.” Others chimed in with messages like, “Let’s make Canada great again,” and, “Grand and beautiful ❤️.”

“This is a spiritual gift to the community,” said Acharya Surinder Sharma Shastri, founder of the Hindu Heritage Centre. “The installation of this murti is not just a moment of pride, but also a reminder that righteousness must always be the guiding factor in our lives.” The statue’s location has made it an even more iconic symbol for new arrivals to Canada. As Sharma pointed out, planes landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport often fly over the temple. Now, among the first sights to greet passengers will be the majestic figure of Lord Ram — arms outstretched, a towering symbol of peace and resilience. READ MORE