| Hippocampal complex and retrieval of recent and very remote autobiographical memories: Evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging in neurologically intact people. Hippocampus 11: 707–714 (2001) | |||||||||||||||
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| ABSTRACT: It has been argued that the role of the hippocampus in memory is time-limited: during aperiod of memory consolidation, other brain regions such as the neocortex are said to acquire the ability to supportmemoryretentionandretrievalontheirown.Analternativeview is that retention and retrieval of memory for autobiographical episodes depend on the hippocampal complex, regardless of the age of the memory. We examined the participation of the hippocampal complex in a functionalmagneticresonanceimaging(fMRI)studyinwhichparticipants were asked to recollect autobiographical events that occurred either within the last 4years or more than 20 years ago. We found equivalent levels of hippocampal activation in both conditions in all participants (N �10). In addition, activation in neocortical regions did not differ as a function of the age of the memory, even though most of the recent memories recalled were less than 2years old and the remote memories morethan35yearsold.Theresultssupportthenotionthatthehippocampal complex participates in retention and recovery of even very old autobiographicalmemories,andplaceboundaryconditionsontheoriesof memory consolidation. Hippocampus 2001;11:707–714. ©2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. KEY WORDS: hippocampus; consolidation; autobiographical memory; functional MRI; retrieval; medial temporal lobe | |||||||||||||||
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