Hippocampus

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior
  • 103 Accesses

Definition

The hippocampus (from the Greek “seahorse”) is a brain structure located in the medial temporal lobe that is primarily responsible for map** spatial relations, temporal sequence information, and the formation of episodic memories.

Introduction

The hippocampus (from the Greek “seahorse”) is a brain structure located in the medial temporal lobe that is primarily responsible for map** spatial relations and the formation of episodic memories. The hippocampus is commonly described as being made up of the cornu ammonis (divided into sub regions CA1, CA2, CA3) and dentate gyrus. The “hippocampal formation” may also include the subiculum, parasubiculum, presubiculum, and entorhinal cortex (See Fig. 1). The hippocampus’ main computational functions are thought to involve pattern separation, pattern completion, and distributing new memories to cortex via memory consolidation (McNaughton and Morris 1987). Spatial theories of hippocampal function argue that its neurons form an...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aghajan, Z. M., Acharya, L., Moore, J. J., Cushman, J. D., Vuong, C., & Mehta, M. R. (2015). Impaired spatial selectivity and intact phase precession in two-dimensional virtual reality. Nature Neuroscience, 18(1), 121–128.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, A. S., & Nitz, D. A. (2015). Retrosplenial cortex maps the conjunction of internal and external spaces. Nature Neuroscience, 18(8), 1143–1151.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Amaral, D. G., & Witter, M. P. (1989). The three-dimensional organization of the hippocampal formation: A review of anatomical data. Neuroscience, 31(3), 571–591.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen, P. (1975). Organization of hippocampal neurons and their interconnections. In R. L. Isaacson & K. H. Pribram (Eds.), The hippocampus (Vol. I, pp. 155–175). New York: Plenum Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Aronov, D., Nevers, R., & Tank, D. W. (2017). Map** of a non-spatial dimension by the hippocampal–entorhinal circuit. Nature, 543(7647), 719–722.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bliss, T. V., & Lømo, T. (1973). Long-lasting potentiation of synaptic transmission in the dentate area of the anaesthetized rabbit following stimulation of the perforant path. The Journal of Physiology, 232(2), 331–356.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Buzsaki, G. (2006). Rhythms of the brain. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Buzsáki, G., Anastassiou, C. A., & Koch, C. (2012). The origin of extracellular fields and currents – EEG, ECoG, LFP and spikes. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13(6), 407–420.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chiba, A. A., Kesner, R. P., & Reynolds, A. M. (1994). Memory for spatial location as a function of temporal lag in rats: Role of hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. Behavioral and Neural Biology, 61(2), 123–131.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dudek, S. M., Alexander, G. M., & Farris, S. (2016). Rediscovering area CA2: Unique properties and functions. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, 17(2), 89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deng, W., Aimone, J. B., & Gage, F. H. (2010). New neurons and new memories: How does adult hippocampal neurogenesis affect learning and memory?. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, 11(5), 339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eichenbaum, H. (2014). Time cells in the hippocampus: A new dimension for map** memories. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 15(11), 732–744.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Falougy, H., & Benuska, J. (2006). History, anatomical nomenclature, comparative anatomy and functions of the hippocampal formation. Bratislavske lekarske listy, 107(4), 103.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ergorul, C., & Eichenbaum, H. (2004). The hippocampus and memory for “what,” “where,” and “when”. Learning & Memory, 11(4), 397–405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster, D. J., & Wilson, M. A. (2006). Reverse replay of behavioural sequences in hippocampal place cells during the awake state. Nature, 440(7084), 680–683.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freund, T. F., & Antal, M. (1988). GABA-containing neurons in the septum control inhibitory interneurons in the hippocampus. Nature, 336(6195), 170–173.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gage, F. H. (2002). Neurogenesis in the adult brain. Journal of Neuroscience, 22(3), 612–613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gross, C. G. (1993). Hippocampus minor and man’s place in nature: A case study in the social construction of neuroanatomy. Hippocampus, 3(4), 403–415.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hasselmo, M. E., & Stern, C. E. (2014). Theta rhythm and the encoding and retrieval of space and time. NeuroImage, 85, 656–666.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Logothetis, N. K., Eschenko, O., Murayama, Y., Augath, M., Steudel, T., Evrard, H. C., et al. (2012). Hippocampal-cortical interaction during periods of subcortical silence. Nature, 491(7425), 547–553.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lubenov, E. V., & Siapas, A. G. (2009). Hippocampal theta oscillations are travelling waves. Nature, 459(7246), 534–539.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MacLean, P. D. (1949). Psychosomatic disease and the “visceral brain”: Recent developments bearing on the papez theory of emotion. Psychosomatic Medicine, 11(6), 338–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNaughton, B. L., & Morris, R. G. (1987). Hippocampal synaptic enhancement and information storage within a distributed memory system. Trends in Neurosciences, 10(10), 408–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNaughton, B. L., Barnes, C. A., Gerrard, J. L., Gothard, K., Jung, M. W., Knierim, J. J., Kudrimoti, H., Qin, Y., Skaggs, W. E., Suster, M., & Weaver, K. L. (1996). Deciphering the hippocampal polyglot: The hippocampus as a path integration system. Journal of Experimental Biology, 199(1), 173–185.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, R. (1984). Developments of a water-maze procedure for studying spatial learning in the rat. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 11(1), 47–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Keefe, J., & Dostrovsky, J. (1971). The hippocampus as a spatial map. Preliminary evidence from unit activity in the freely-moving rat. Brain Research, 34(1), 171–175.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Keefe, J., & Nadel, L. (1978). The hippocampus as a cognitive map. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Papez, J. W. (1937). A proposed mechanism of emotion. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, 38(4), 725–743.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rangel, L. M., Alexander, A. S., Aimone, J. B., Wiles, J., Gage, F. H., Chiba, A. A., & Quinn, L. K. (2014). Temporally selective contextual encoding in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Nature Communications, 5, 3181.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scoville, W. B., & Milner, B. (1957). Loss of recent memory after bilateral hippocampal lesions. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 20(1), 11–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steward, O. (1976). Topographic organization of the projections from the entorhinal area to the hippocampal formation of the rat. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 167(3), 285–314.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Strien, N. M., Cappaert, N. L. M., & Witter, M. P. (2009). The anatomy of memory: An interactive overview of the parahippocampal–hippocampal network. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(4), 272–282.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric J. Leonardis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Leonardis, E.J. (2022). Hippocampus. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55065-7_1267

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Navigation