I’m looking for the name of this short story. It starts out with a man describing a cancer treatment he was given as a boy that destroyed all the cells in his brain that were associated with pleasurable feelings. Several years later, he is given an experimental treatment to restore these parts of his brain using small, interlinked microchips. Most of the rest of the story is him learning how to control the development of his new artificial brain parts. Has anyone heard of this story and know its name?
I’m going to give this one bump, then if no one has any idea, let it die.
I have no idea, here.
You might get more interest if you could give a time frame for publication, and some idea where you saw it - if you can recall.
I’m pretty sure I saw it one of the “The Year’s Best Science Fiction” anthologies edited by Gardner Dozois, but I can’t be sure. It would have been a recent story (within the last 20 years), but I don’t think that’s narrowing it down much.
Here is what I found
Greg Egan. Reasons to be Cheerful.
Originally in : Interzone April 1997
A childhood brain cancer and subsequent treatment leaves the protagonist in a deep state of depression. 18 years on surgery which involves placing a prosthesis in the brain gives him the facility to choose exactly what he enjoys, and to what extent.
At this site
That’s exactly it. Thanks, Surbey.