Cited by 1,997Memory and Neural MechanismsMemory Processes and InfluencesCognitive Functions and Memory

Human amnesia and the medial temporal region: enduring memory impairment following a bilateral lesion limited to field CA1 of the hippocampus

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Zola-Morgan, S, Squire, LR, Amaral, DG·1986·The Journal of Neuroscience

Abstract

During the past 100 years clinical studies of amnesia have linked memory impairment to damage of the hippocampus. Yet the damage in these cases has not usually been confined to the hippocampus, and the status of memory functions has often been based on incomplete neuropsychological information. Thus, the human cases have until now left some uncertainty as to whether lesions limited to the hippocampus are sufficient to cause amnesia. Here we report a case of amnesia in a patient (R.B.) who developed memory impairment following an ischemic episode. During the 5 years until his death, R.B. exhibited marked anterograde amnesia, little if any retrograde amnesia, and showed no signs of cognitive impairment other than memory. Thorough histological examination revealed a circumscribed bilateral lesion involving the entire CA1 field of the hippocampus. Minor pathology was found elsewhere in the brain (e.g., left globus pallidus, right postcentral gyrus, left internal capsule), but the only damage that could be reasonably associated with the memory defect was the lesion in the hippocampus. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of amnesia following a lesion limited to the hippocampus in which extensive neuropsychological and neuropathological analyses have been carried out.

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Crossref · 10.1523/jneurosci.06-10-02950.1986

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  • Lesions of the hippocampus in humans and other mammals produce severe amnesia for certain memories.

    “It is well known that lesions of the hippocampus in humans and other mammals produce severe amnesia for certain memories (Scoville and Milner, 1957; Morris et al., 1982; Zola-Morgan et al., 1986; reviewed by Squire, 1987).”

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Authors
Zola-Morgan, S., Squire, L., & Amaral, D.
Affiliations
University of California San Diego (US)
Venue
The Journal of Neuroscience
Published
1986-10-01
Volume
6
Issue
10
Pages
2950-2967
ISSN
  • 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2401
OpenAlex
W1598800837
Cited by
1,997
References
69
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 58 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 39 · 2017: 52 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 52 · 2014: 56 · 2013: 51 · 2012: 58
FWCI
25.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH24600)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS 20004, NS19063)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
Keywords
anterograde amnesia, hippocampal CA1, bilateral hippocampal lesions, memory impairment, ischemic stroke, medial temporal lobe, retrograde amnesia, neuropathology, neuropsychological assessment
MeSH terms
Amnesia, Cerebral Cortex, Brain Ischemia, Diencephalon, Hippocampus, Humans, Male, Memory Disorders, Middle Aged, Temporal Lobe

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