Engram

AT: "xx" An engram or memory engram is an impression made physically in neural tissue of the brain by any mental stimulus, thereby explaining the persistence of memory.

Shortly before 2268, Dr. Richard Daystrom developed multitronics – a method of constructing a computer that could think, and of impressing memory engrams upon its circuits. The result was the M-5 computer, developed with Daystrom's own engrams. As Daystrom was near a nervous breakdown at the time, the M-5 was (like its predecessors M-1 through M-4) "not entirely successful". While multitronics showed some promise, it was eventually superseded by isolinear circuitry. (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer")

A memory beam erasing parts of James T. Kirk's memory

Memory beams were able to influence one's memory by erasing engrams in the neural tissue. James T. Kirk experienced this first hand on Amerind. (TOS: "The Paradise Syndrome")

Telepathic memory retrieval, as used by the Ullians involved their using telepathic abilities to retrieve and expand lost or faded memory engrams of an individual. (TNG: "Violations")

A memory wipe is a medical procedure designed for the purpose of selectively eliminating memory engrams from the mind of an individual. (TNG: "Pen Pals", DS9: "Sons of Mogh")

The Banean punished murderers by forcing them to relive their victim's last moments every fourteen hours; this was done by inserting the memory engrams of the victim into their brain. (VOY: "Ex Post Facto")

The Quarren edit the memory engrams of humanoids they capture in order to gather workers for their homeworld of Quarra. (VOY: "Workforce", "Workforce, Part II")

The Mari would seek out memory engrams that contained the memories of violent thoughts and remove them, because having violent thoughts was a crime on their world. This procedure was known as an engramatic purge. (VOY: "Random Thoughts")

In an alternate timeline in 2379, Kes had lost over 99% of her memory engrams due to the effect of the morilogium. After being sent back in time a few weeks due to a side-effect of The Doctor's bio-temporal chamber, she had lost over 98% of the engrams. After yet another such time-shift, to her ninth birthday, the amount was reported as over 95%. (VOY: "Before and After")

Several of Data's memory engrams were damaged after he was shot by a Son'a weapon on Ba'ku. This caused the activation of his memory loss fail-safe system. Later, on board the USS Enterprise-E, Geordi La Forge replaced them. When Data was reactivated, his first inquiry was pertaining to the missing engrams. (Star Trek: Insurrection)

The memory virus is a pathogenic parasite that disguised itself as a memory engram – normally a memory so traumatic that the host suppressed it into the subconscious.

See also

• Multitronic engrammatic interpreter

External link

• Engram (neuropsychology) at Wikipedia