"I like brains!" A neuroscientist talks about memory

Meet Brock Kirwan the neuroscientist I relied on to research brains and memory for my book DELETED. Brock is a professor of neuroscience and psychology at Brigham Young University.

Brock was good enough to let me pick his brain (pun absolutely intended) to learn more about the science of memory. He also read an early draft of my book and gave me helpful feedback. All the science I got right in Deleted was thanks to his help. All the stuff I may have messed up, I blame on my faulty memory—he he.

Some have suggested that the character Phil in my book is based on Brock. The two do share quite a lot in common. Like Phil, Brock is a professor and has a lovely, competent, red-headed wife who is a bit of perfectionist. Also, most of the science-y stuff that comes out of Phil’s mouth I learned from Brock. So maybe he is a little more Phil than I realized. I have maintained that he wasn’t Phil because they look quite different. (Phil looks more a like chubby Chris Pratt with a beard) and because Brock is a few degrees less dorky than Phil.

In this interview Brock talks about how he ended up studying neuroscience as well as discussing a couple philosophical questions raised in my book about memory.

What questions would you ask a neuroscientist about memory? And those who have read the book, what do you think—is Brock actually Phil?