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The hippocampus plays a key role in creating, organizing, and storing new memories, as well as linking certain sensations and emotions to them. Have you ever noticed how a particular fragrance can trigger strong memories? The hippocampus plays a role in this connection. What is the hippocampus? What functions does it perform in the human body?
Hippocampus – what is it?
The hippocampus is located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain, beneath the cortical surface. Its structure is divided into two halves that are located on the left and right sides of the brain. The organ has a curved shape resembling a seahorse and is named after a combination of the Greek words “hippo” for horse and “kampos” for the sea.
The hippocampus was first named by the Venetian anatomist Julius Caesar Aranzi in 1587. He described it as a ridge along the temporal fossa of the lateral ventricle and likened it first to a silkworm and later to a seahorse. In the XNUMXs, the Parisian surgeon René-Jacques Croissant de Garengeot coined the term “cornu Ammonis”, meaning the horn of Amun, the ancient Egyptian god.
The hippocampus is part of the limbic system with which sensory and responsive functions are related. The limbic system is at the edge of the cerebral cortex and includes the hypothalamus and amygdala. These structures help to control various bodily functions such as the endocrine system and the so-called “fight or flight” response.
Also read: The limbic system – everything you need to know about it
Hippocampus – structure and functions
The hippocampus consists of three elements: the foot, the trough, and the hypha. Formation of the hippocampus (hippocampal) is a broader term and also includes the dentate gyrus and entorhinal cortex. Within the hippocampus itself, we distinguish four parts called CA1 – CA4 sectors.
Man and other mammals have two hippocampuses, one for half the brain. Each hippocampus is responsible for event and spatial memory. It receives data from short-term memory, which it processes and then places selected ones in the long-term one. Thanks to this, a person retains memories and acquires experience and knowledge.
Moreover, the hippocampus can make new nerve cells throughout the life of the human body. The results of the research confirm that episodic memory is not fully developed in childhood, but its development continues into adulthood.
The hippocampus is a key structure in memory consolidation (i.e. creating new memories). The hippocampus is also one of the brain regions most affected by Alzheimer’s disease, a debilitating disease characterized by severe memory loss. Alzheimer’s disease involves the degradation or degradation and death of neurons. While this neurodegeneration is common, neurons in the hippocampus are especially susceptible.
The hippocampus is also believed to be important for navigation and spatial orientation. It has been hypothesized that neurons in the hippocampus encode information about our environment in such a way that they form a cognitive map of our surroundings.
Also check: What should the Alzheimer’s diet look like?
The hippocampus – what can damage it?
Damage to the hippocampus can occur as a result of severe stress and subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder. A person under stress experiences an increase in the activity of the so-called the stress axis (including the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands), with the release of organic chemical compounds, including cortisol, leading to damage to the hippocampus.
Reduced hippocampal volume has been observed in depressed patients. It is believed that the stress experienced by patients suffering from these disorders may be particularly damaging to the neurons of the hippocampus.
Glucocorticosteroids also have a bad effect on the hippocampus – after their use, a reduction in the volume and impairment of the functions of this brain structure was found.
Damage can also occur as a result of infectious diseases, hypoxia, ischemia and injuries. It is badly affected by Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, schizophrenia, depression and global amnesia.
It is worth adding that scientists are constantly discovering new links between diseases and the hippocampus, so the state of our knowledge on this subject should be updated from time to time.
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Symptoms of damage to the hippocampus
Because the hippocampus affects memory, damage and problems associated with it result from memory damage. A person with a damaged hippocampus may have difficulty recalling memories, remembering new things, and learning. In rare cases, damage to the hippocampus can even lead to hallucinations, depression and anxiety.
Special apparatus is required to detect damage to the hippocampus. There are no signs of initial damage – a damaged hippocampus is already detected.
Hippocampus – treatment
So far, there are no effective treatments for damage to the hippocampus. This is due to, among other things, its complicated structure and the lack of sufficient research on its functioning. If memory problems arise, patients are offered various types of exercises and training to improve the functioning of the hippocampus. However, in practice, these methods do not bring about a lasting or effective improvement.
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