Neuralyzer

A Neuralyzer, sometimes spelled as Neuralizer, It is a device about the size of an average cigar tube that gives a bright flash which erases the memories of the past hours, days, weeks, months or years, depending on the chosen settings. Its a standard tool that used by Agent of Men in Black to the alien secret at bay.

A neuralyzer wipes the memory of a target or witness, putting them under a hypnotic state, making them susceptible to suggestion and implantation of false memories. The length of memory erased can be changed using buttons and dials. There are different neuralyzer models with different button and dial configurations. These buttons or dials can be set accordingly to the amount of time needed to be forgotten. The device produces a noisy, camera-like flash. The agents implant new memories in place of the old ones.

In order for the agents to not be affected by the flash, they wear Ray-Ban or very dark sunglasses that reflect the rays. After being neuralyzed, the agents have about 30 seconds to supply new memories to replace the ones they've just erased. If there are more witnesses to neuralyze, or of they are pressed for time, a special team is sent in to supply memories.

After being neuralyzed, the witnesses forget the events that are meant to be removed from their memory. But these can still be familiar to them, and the witness sometimes gets déjà vu, as when Dr. Laurel Weaver (Linda Fiorentino) gets déjà vu when meeting Agent J (Will Smith), although her memories of their first encounter were neuralyzed.

A deneuralyzer, only shown in the second film, is a special device that reverses the effects of a neuralyzer. The deneuralyzer takes up a small room in the second film.

In addition to witnesses, the neuralyzer is also used on MiB agents who retire, resign, or are fired, and also on trainees who are rejected