ABSTRACT
This chapter considers different types of memory, how they are implemented in the brain and how they interact. The long-term store is considered to have essentially unlimited capacity within the inherent limitations of the brain. The chapter describes distinction between long-term and short-term or working memory. Global amnesics have memory problems both in terms of learning new information and remembering information prior to their brain damage. The chapter also considers different types of long-term memory and discusses amnesia in terms of this theoretical framework. Consolidation is the process by which moment-to-moment changes in brain activity are translated into permanent structural changes in the brain. The chapter discusses whether the hippocampus has a time-limited role, whether there are separate neural substrates for familiarity and recollection and the cognitive/neural mechanisms of forgetting. It also discusses frontal lobe contributions to memory.
