These articles describe a recent breakthrough in memory research demonstrating how memories can be artificially created and manipulated in mice. This might be a good entry point to the subject.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/08/researchers-erase-fearful-memories-mice

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/meet-two-scientists-who-implanted-false-memory-mouse-180953045/

It was possible to imprint patterns

on living neurons. What these memories

might mean is a different issue, it is

a matter of embedding and encoding.

https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevE.75.050901

https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.3208.epdf

More reading:

http://news.mit.edu/2012/conjuring-memories-artificially-0322

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905152831.htm

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-02/uoc--urp020106.php

https://www.medgadget.com/2016/08/memories-look-like-researchers-imprint-recall-groups-coupled-neurons.html

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/166517-scientists-create-new-memories-by-directly-altering-neurons-in-the-brain

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2008/09/08/how_memories_are_made_and_recalled.html

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-07/c-ub-hnr072015.php

https://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v20/n4/full/nn.4509.html

http://www.kurzweilai.net/neurons-involved-in-working-memory-fire-in-bursts-not-continuously

http://www.medindia.net/news/neurons-show-teamwork-in-short-term-memory-168452-1.htm

http://www.pnas.org/content/107/16/7580.short

Regards,

Joachim