Welcome to week 2 of the April 2018 A to Z Blog Challenge. I started week one with brain function related to memory, and I will do the same with week 2.
Today, let’s learn a little bit about the hippocampus. We have to start with the name (since it makes me think of horses and hippos). And that’s not far off. The hippocampus is Greek for seahorse, and so-named because it looks like one.
Next little known fact (at least for me). We don’t have one, but two hippocampi, one on each side of the brain. You can see it in the diagram below. Part of the limbic system, the hippocampi have two broad functions: 1) consolidating information from short-term to long-term memory; and 2) managing spatial memory which allows us to navigate.
Given this role, we can see how dramatically damage to the hippocampus might affect us. In Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia, the hippocampus is the first region of the brain effected. Anterograde amnesia (when a person cannot form new memories–think 50 First Dates) results from extreme damage to this area of the brain.
I must admit that traveling into the research on the brain, it reminds of how miraculous we really are, and just how little we know about ourselves?
What do you think?
I did not realise we had two! The brain really is an amazing thing – the fact it can recover from dreadful injuries is mind boggling 🙂
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings – Movie Monsters
The brain is so interesting. I started watching a program on Netflix called Brain Games. I have several friends with husbands who are Vietnam vets. Due to Agent Orange, they developed a form of dementia that acts a lot like Alzheimer’s but is different. I think that’s more related to the frontal lobe, though.
Its all connected, that’s the complexity of this all. We want one thing we can fix, but its more a cascade of events once one thing happens. Thanks for dropping by.
I did not know we have two hippocampi either. Clearly, it plays such an important role in how our brain functions. Weekends In Maine
The A to Z challenge has taught me a lot. I probably have enlarged my party social talk bag of tricks.
I had no idea we had two either. Very informative. Thank you Shari!
Emily In Ecuador
I am learning quite a few things during the challenge. Thanks for dropping by.