What are the main functions of the hippocampus?
What are the main functions of the hippocampus?
The hippocampus is thought to be principally involved in storing long-term memories and in making those memories resistant to forgetting, though this is a matter of debate. It is also thought to play an important role in spatial processing and navigation.
Why is the hippocampus important to memory?
The hippocampus helps humans process and retrieve two kinds of memory, declarative memories and spatial relationships. Declarative memories are those related to facts and events. The hippocampus is also where short-term memories are turned into long-term memories. These are then stored elsewhere in the brain.
Why is the hippocampus susceptible to hypoxia?
The high energy requirements compared to the low energy reserves render the brain particularly vulnerable to hypoxic conditions. The brain regions most sensitive to this type of injury are parts of the hippocampus, the dorsolateral caudate nucleus and the reticular nucleus of thalamus.
What type of neurons are in the hippocampus?
pyramidal cells
The major output neurons of the hippocampal formation are pyramidal cells in CA1, subiculum, and deep layers of the entorhinal cortex. CA1 and subiculum pyramidal cells provide a large subcortical projection via the fornix to the septum and hypothalamus, with minor contribution from CA3 pyramidal cells.
What shrinks the hippocampus?
Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and stress appear to be linked to a smaller-sized hippocampus. In Alzheimer’s, the size of the hippocampus can be used to diagnose the progress of the disease. In people with depression, the hippocampus can shrink by up to 20 percent , according to some researchers.
How do I keep my hippocampus from shrinking?
Exercise; this stimulates neural pathway growth and as we age aerobic exercise, the stuff that increases our heart rate and makes us work up a sweat can help us maintain the size of our hippocampus – we avoid its shrinkage due to age. 2. Have a diet rich in fish, blueberries, coffee and dark chocolate.
