The Memory Thief

And the Secrets Behind How We Remember; A Medical Mystery

By: Lauren Aguirre

Narrated by: Lauren Aguirre

Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

The remarkable true story of a team of doctors who - through years of scientific sleuthing and observant care - discover a surprising connection between opioids and memory, one that holds promise and peril for any one of us.

How could you lose your memory overnight, and what would it mean? The day neurologist Jed Barash sees the baffling brain scan of a young patient with devastating amnesia marks the beginning of a quest to answer those questions. First detected in a cluster of stigmatized opioid overdose victims in Massachusetts with severe damage to the hippocampus - the brain’s memory center - this rare syndrome reveals how the tragic plight of the unfortunate few can open the door to advances in medical science.

After overcoming initial skepticism that investigating the syndrome is worth the effort - and that fentanyl is the likely culprit - Barash and a growing team of dedicated doctors explore the threat that people who take opioids chronically as prescribed to treat severe pain may gradually put their memories at risk. At the same time, they begin to grasp the potential for this syndrome to shed light on the most elusive memory thief of all - Alzheimer’s disease.

Through the prism of this fascinating story, Aguirre goes on to examine how researchers tease out the fundamental nature of memory and the many mysteries still to be solved. Where do memories live? Why do we forget most of what happens in a day but remember some events with stunning clarity years later? How real are our memories? And what purpose do they actually serve?

Perhaps the greatest mystery in The Memory Thief is why Alzheimer’s has evaded capture for a century even though it afflicts tens of millions around the world and lies in wait for millions more. Aguirre deftly explores this question and reveals promising new strategies and developments that may finally break the long stalemate in the fight against this dreaded disease.

But at its core, Aguirre’s genre-bending and deeply reported book is about paying attention to the things that initially don’t make sense - like the amnestic syndrome - and how these mysteries can move science closer to an ever-evolving version of the truth.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Lauren Aguirre (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

Very enjoyable

Really nice work weaving together the story lines, smooth pace and transitions, an easy "read"

Well researched and well delivered

The only shortcomings I could note was the lack of a sense of how severe a human toll the opioid epidemic has taken on society as a whole

Fascinating and relevant

Weaves together historical events in neuroscience with recent observations on a connection between amnesia and opioids. Well organized and presented. Understandable and interesting even to someone without a scientific background. I highly recommend it.

This is a very informative book

I have learned a good deal of information from listening to this book. I recommend this book to all those people interested in memory.

great book for somebody who has made your memory

this is a book for somebody who has lost memory or is afraid of boosting more memory if you have abused opioids at any time or major alcoholic it is so worth looking into it is an ongoing study and there's much more to come

Fascinating look inside medical research

I hadn’t realized how much dedication and commitment medical research takes and over how long a time. Deep and empathetic look at the lives/work and dedication of the medical professionals and a compelling look at the patients struggles with brain disease. Loved the author’s reading too.

Interesting but over long.

Oh what a better book this could have been. No need for the imagenary conversations, the detailed description of every office, the physical description of all the participants.

When she sticks to the investigation and the science it is good, but all the padding spoils the flow of the narrative.

Overlooked part of the opioid crisis

This book was a well-researched overview of memory loss associated with opioid use and the current opioid epidemic. I appreciated that the author had a strong focus on understanding the background and struggles of impacted patients as well as the doctors/researchers working to understand the link. This was a much-needed update to my previous understanding of how memory works. I recommend this book to anyone interested in medical research, psychology, harm reduction, or public health.

Memory loss from dug abuse

Related to research and the researchers on amnestic syndrome from opioid abuse, not about Alzheimer's.