Episodic Memory

The medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus and surrounding areas, is critical for episodic memory, which is the ability to learn, store, and retrieve events of daily life. The hippocampal circuits provide a framework for relating experiences that constitute the individual autobiographic events. Information processed in the hippocampus is conveyed back to the neocortex for consolidation of episodic memories. The medial temporal lobe participates in an anterior circuit for recognition based on familiarity and a posterior circuit involved in visual navigation. These circuits are also components of the default mode network involved in processing of inner thoughts. The medial temporal lobe circuits are susceptible to aging, Alzheimer disease, and other disorders causing episodic memory disturbances.