Neuroscience Bite: The Hippocampus

The human hippocampus. Very easy to see in the cartoon picture, in real life on an MRI scan very hard to see - the highlighting is artificial of course.

The hippocampus plays a big role in the formation of new memories - in particular explicit memories such as our knowledge of facts (semantic memories) and events (episodic memories).

The hippocampus also plays an important role in consolidation - when the various parts of a memory are "tied" together so they have a relationship. Thing of your memory for last night - you need to consolidate the sights, smells, location, etc into one memory.

The hippocampus also plays a key role in spatial navigation.