Socrates railed against the invention of the alphabet, worrying that the written word would erode human memory. Imagine how he would have felt about Google Maps and iPhone calendar alerts.

Technological revolutions have always spawned both opportunity and panic. Today, digital technology is evolving at an unprecedented rate, and research into its effects on the human brain is struggling to keep apace.

There’s strong evidence to suggest that digital technology really is altering human physiology, affecting our impulse control, attention span, sleeping patterns and, yes, our memory function. But it’s not all bad news, with some research suggesting a link between complex online activities (such as immersive games) and cognitive flexibility.

Host Madeleine Morris is joined by neuroscientist and psychologist Olivia Carter, and philosopher of science Michael Arnold – plus an audience full of questions – to talk brains, technology, policy and wellbeing.

Left to right: Madeleine Morris, Michael Arnold and Olivia Carter

The mind works in obscure, often inconvenient, ways. Do you find you can recall every line of Wayne’s World dialogue, but you’ve forgotten your own blood type, your seven times tables, your grandmother’s maiden name, the year of the Battle of Hastings?

What do our minds retain, what do they discard, and why? Diving deep into the subconscious for this discussion, we explore the latest in psychology and neuroscience to gain some novel perspectives around forgetting. Is memory loss a natural part of ageing? When is forgetting a brain malfunction, and when it is a healthy, cleansing act of the subconscious? Can forgetting be as valuable as remembering? Can forgetting spur creativity?

Join us for a fresh and memorable conversation on the psychological, scientific and even psychoanalytical processes of forgetting. Physician and writer Leah Kaminsky hosts a panel including psychiatrist and Alzheimer's researcher Ashley Bush, behavioural neuroscientist Jee Hyun Kim and psychoanalyst Leonardo Salvador Rodríguez.

The panel: Leah Kaminsky, Leonardo Salvador Rodríguez, Jee Hyun Kim and Ashley Bush