Mnemonic functions of the hippocampus: A comparison between animals and humans

Abstract

This review summarizes a series of experiments aimed at answering the question whether the hippocampus in rats and humans performs parallel functions focusing on studies that assess spatial and temporal pattern separation, sequential learning, spatial and temporal pattern association, spatial and temporal pattern completion, and short-term and intermediate-term memory. It is recognized that a comparison of the functions of the rat hippocampus with human hippocampus is difficult, because of differences in methodology, differences in complexity of life experiences, and differences in the degree of hippocampal damage as well as damage to interconnected brain regions. Yet, in general the data support the idea that with respect to spatial and temporal pattern separation, sequential learning, spatial and temporal pattern associations, spatial and temporal pattern completion, and short-term and intermediate-term memory, similar functions are observed in rats and humans with hippocampal damage using analogous tasks. These data provide support for evolutionary continuity in cognitive function assigned to the hippocampus of rats and humans.