The latest research is based on a radical rethinking of how memories are stored in the brain. Scientists used to believe memories are like snapshots on which the details are fixed once they're recorded. Now, many experts accept the view that memories are stored like individual files on a shelf; each time they are pulled down for viewing, they can be altered before being put back into storage. Altering a memory during the time it is off the shelf can create an updated memory that can be saved in place of the old one, scientists believe.

近来学术界对于大脑存储记忆的方式有了彻底的反思，最近的这项研究也就应运而生了。过去，科学家们认为，记忆像相机快照一样，一旦被大脑所记录，其中的细节便已确定。如今，许多专家都认可，记忆就像是存放在架子上的一个个文档，每次从架子上拿下来看过，再放回去时，记忆也许就已经发生变化了。科学家们认为，在记忆拿下架子的时候对其加以改变，就会产生新的记忆，旧的记忆便被取而代之。