ABSTRACT
From the chapters included in this volume it is clear that much has been learned over the last decade regarding the fundamental cognitive processes that underlie prospective memory, how the efciency of these processes develops and then declines over the course of the life span, and what interventions may be undertaken to remediate decits in the ability to realize delayed intentions. In one form or another some evidence related to each of these themes was considered in the 1996 volume on prospective memory (Brandimonte, Einstein, & McDaniel, 1996). In contrast, a consideration of evidence related to the neurobiological underpinnings of prospective memory in intact individuals was essentially absent in the earlier edition. This chapter is designed to provide an overview of the growing literature related to the neurobiological basis of prospective memory in the hope of illustrating what progress has been made within this area of research and also to inspire other investigators to join those of us who have spent considerable energy over the last several years laying the foundation for studies to be conducted in the coming decade and beyond.
