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A role for the hippocampal formation in implicit memory: a 3-D PET study
M Beauregard1, D Gold, A C Evans
1Départment de Radiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Neuroreport
|July 17, 1998
Summary
This study investigated implicit memory and word priming, finding the right hippocampal formation is involved. This challenges the idea that implicit memory systems are completely separate from explicit memory structures.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Research
Background:
- Implicit memory is thought to rely on systems independent of mesial temporal lobe structures.
- However, amnesic patients show word priming deficits, suggesting these structures may play a role.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if the hippocampal formation is involved in word priming.
- To investigate the neural basis of implicit memory.
Main Methods:
- A 3-D Positron Emission Tomography (PET) study was conducted on 13 healthy individuals.
- Encoding used the brief multiple presentation technique to minimize explicit memory strategies.
Main Results:
- Word priming was associated with activation in the right hippocampal formation.
- This indicates a role for the hippocampus in implicit word priming.
Conclusions:
- The hippocampal formation is implicated in word priming.
- This challenges the concept of absolute dissociability between explicit and implicit memory brain systems.