By lauren aguirre

FINALIST FOR THE 2022 PEN/E.O. WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD

Sometimes, it’s not the discovery that’s hard – it’s convincing others you’re right. The Memory Thief chronicles an investigation into a rare and devastating amnesia in a cluster of fentanyl overdose survivors. After many blind alleys and occasional strokes of good luck, doctors prove that opioids can damage the hippocampus  – the brain’s memory center  – a discovery that may have implications for millions around the world.

 

Lauren Aguirre

Aguirre is an award-winning science journalist who has produced documentaries, short-form video series, podcasts, interactive games, and blogs for the PBS series NOVA. She has covered everything from asteroids to human origins to art restoration, but is particularly fascinated by the brain. Aguirre’s articles on memory and addiction have appeared in STAT, The Boston Globe Ideas Section, Undark, The Atlantic, The Scientist, and PBS. The Memory Thief is her first book.

Appearances

Morning Joe • MSNBC

The Pulse • WHYY

Top of Mind with Julie Rose • BYU Radio

Harvard Book Store • Cambridge, MA

Cary Memorial Library • Lexington, MA

Hidden Forces with Demetri Kofinas

STAT's First Opinion Podcast

STAT & THE BOSTON GLOBE IDEAS

July 19, 2021

 

Lessons learned -- and lost -- from a Vietnam-era study of addiction

The scientist

June 1, 2021

 

The Overlooked Power of Inhibitory Neurons

STAT

July 19, 2019

 

Role of Seizures in Alzheimer's Disease is Gaining Overdue Attention

UNDARK & the atlantic

January 29, 2018

A Mysterious Amnesia, Related to Opioid Overdose, Creeps Beyond New England

 

undark

December 24, 2018

Altering Memories to Treat Addiction

PBS/NOVA

November 30, 2017

Will Surgery and Anesthesia Harm Your Memory?

Lauren Aguirre is represented by Aevitas Creative Management. The Memory Thief is published by Pegasus Books and distributed by Simon and Schuster. The writing of this book was supported in part by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Program in Public Understanding of Science and Technology.