[Contribution of studies on animal memory to understanding human memory]

Studies of animal memory have contributed to the understanding of human memory from two points of view. Phylogenetic comparison of memory abilities in different animal groups demonstrates that human memory is a heterogeneous combination of various abilities, of different complexities, which appeared during the evolution. On the other hand, the use of animal models promotes better understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying human memory. These models can be anatomic ones founded on the functional implication of encephalic areas, bioelectric ones founded on the implication of microscopic or macroscopic bioelectric phenomena or chemical ones founded on the molecular activity of the nervous system.