Declarative Memory System: Anatomy

In 1957, the groundbreaking report of Scoville and Milner showed that bilateral damage to the medial temporal lobes resulted in a permanent loss of fact and event memory (declarative memory), while sparing other cognitive functions. However the identity of the specific structure or structures within the medial temporal lobe which, when damaged, were underlying the devastating memory deficit were yet to be identified. This article describes the series of systematic lesion studies and neuroanatomical studies that cumulatively led to our current understanding of the key medial temporal lobe structures important for declarative memory.