Human memory, cerebral hemispheres, and the limbic system: a new approach.

An integrative approach to human memory is presented in the context of brain asymmetry. The results of psychophysiological investigations suggest that right-hemisphere functioning is closely associated with the limbic system; that association leads to the formation of a polysemantic context. Polysemantic context is determined by multiple interconnections among its elements; each element bears the stamp of the whole context. That context sustains episodic, personal, and emotionally laden memories. Left-hemisphere functioning leads to the formation of a monosemantic context, which is responsible for the maintenance of semantic memories. That distinction--in terms of general organization of material by hemispheres--explains such phenomena as memory disturbances among the very old, the influence of emotions on memory, and confabulations.