The hippocampus is a curved ridge of three-layered cortex in the floor of the temporal horn of the lateral ventricle, named for its seahorse shape. It has a head, body and tail and, with the dentate gyrus and subiculum, forms the hippocampal formation. Its internal fields are labelled CA1 to CA4.
| Location | Floor of the temporal horn of the lateral ventricle, medial temporal lobe |
|---|---|
| Parts |
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| Connections |
|
| Blood Supply | Posterior cerebral artery (hippocampal branches); Anterior choroidal artery |
Forms new long-term memories of events and facts and builds mental maps for spatial navigation.
Bilateral hippocampal damage causes severe anterograde amnesia, as in the famous patient H.M. Hippocampal sclerosis is the most common cause of drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy and can be cured by surgery in many cases. Hippocampal atrophy on MRI supports a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease, and CA1 neurons are highly vulnerable to hypoxia.
Neuron loss and scarring of the hippocampus causing temporal lobe epilepsy.
Early hippocampal atrophy causing difficulty forming new memories.
A sudden temporary inability to form new memories, linked to small transient hippocampal changes.
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