What is the primary function of the hippocampus?

The primary function of the hippocampus is to form and store new memories. As a critical structure in the limbic system of the brain, the hippocampus plays a central role in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory. It is especially important for declarative or explicit memory, which involves facts and events that can be consciously recalled.

Research has shown that the hippocampus is involved in the learning process, allowing us to encode and retrieve memories related to our experiences. Damage to this area can result in anterograde amnesia, where an individual struggles to form new memories while older memories may remain intact. This emphasizes the role of the hippocampus as essential for memory formation and storage.

In contrast, emotional response regulation is more closely associated with regions like the amygdala, while motor skills are primarily governed by the cerebellum and basal ganglia. Visual processing predominantly involves areas in the occipital lobe. Each of these brain functions is distinct, underlining the specialized roles different brain regions play.