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TBI and Memory Dysfunction

In the November 6, 2014 online issue of PLOS Computational Biology Dr. Samuel Gershman and colleagues published a new theory of human memory formation based on testing a quantitative model on human volunteers. The theory states that humans will modify an existing memory to keep track of small, gradual changes in their environment, but they will create a brand new memory when they perceive a sudden, significant change in their environment. The key part of the brain operative in the cognitive assessment process and the memory modification vs. formation process is the hippocampus in the temporal lobe. This study explains why people with brain damage to the hippocampal area have considerable difficulty with forming new memories.