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The hippocampal indexing theory and episodic memory: Updating the index
Author(s) -
Teyler Timothy J.,
Rudy Jerry W.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
hippocampus
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.767
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1098-1063
pISSN - 1050-9631
DOI - 10.1002/hipo.20350
Subject(s) - hippocampus , episodic memory , neuroscience , hippocampal formation , psychology , search engine indexing , cognitive science , semantic memory , index (typography) , cognitive psychology , computer science , cognition , artificial intelligence , world wide web
A little over 20 years ago, (Teyler and DiScenna,1986; Behav Neurosci 100:147–152) proposed the hippocampal memory index theory. It offered an account of episodic memory based on the intrinsic organization of the hippocampus, its synaptic physiology and its anatomical relationship to other regions of the brain. The essence of their idea was that the hippocampus was functionally designed and anatomically situated to capture information about neocortical activity generated by the individual features of behavioral episode. Moreover, because the hippocampus projects back to these neocortical regions the information it stored could serve as an index to the pattern of neocortical activity produced by the episode. Consequently, a partial cue that activated the index could activate the neocortical patterns and thus retrieve the memory of the episode. In this article we revisit and update indexing theory. Our conclusion is that it has aged very well. Its core ideas can be seen in many contemporary theories and there is a wealth of data that support this conceptual framework. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.