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The role of the hippocampus in memory formation and consolidation
- 1 Division of Biosciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The hippocampus is one of the most well-studied areas in the brain. After the studies on Henry Molaison (H.M.) and rodent model confirming its role in memory formation and consolidation, its anatomical, physiological, and psychological characteristics in memory processing have been studied for a long time. The framework of its role in memory processing is continuously building up from the synapse level to the system level. Current studies are working on enriching the detail of the blueprint and confirming whether the framework can explain results recording from new techniques. This review will introduce the physiological, theoretical mechanism of memory formation and consolidation in the hippocampus with results from current studies. In addition, it will also discuss the current process of framework, suggest some limitations that these studies face, and give a comprehensive view of the role of hippocampus’ functions in memory processing after the study of H.M. Future studies should incorporate longitudinal designs to understand the developmental trajectory of hippocampus and its role in cognitive development.
Keywords
hippocampus, pattern separation and completion, system consolidation theory.
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Cite this article
Liu,Z. (2024). The role of the hippocampus in memory formation and consolidation. Theoretical and Natural Science,63,62-67.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
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Volume title: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Biological Engineering and Medical Science
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