AbstractDamage to the hippocampus and related brain regions causes a profound amnesic syndrome, in which patients are unable to form new memories about their experiences and about facts about the world. A number of theories have been proposed to explain hippocampal function. The theories that are currently most influential propose that the hippocampus is the substrate of declarative or episodic memory and that the hippocampus is the neural locus of a cognitive map. Anatomical, physiological, and behavioral studies of the hippocampal system have enabled a rich understanding of a number of general principles of information processing and storage in the brain. In this article, we describe key anatomical and physiological features of hippocampal function as well as the most influential theories of hippocampal function.WIREs Cogn Sci2012, 3:231–251. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1164This article is categorized under:Neuroscience > Cognition