H.M. was a patient whose hippocampus was surgically removed in 1953 in an attempt to cure his epilepsy. His case was studied until his death in 2008 and played an important role in the development of theories linking brain structures and functions. What impairment would you expect from a hippocampal deficit?
A)loss of anger control
B)an inability to establish memories that could later be retrieved
C)loss of short-term memory
D)loss of motor skills like riding a bicycle
E)inability to repeat words that are spoken to him

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The hippocampus is a critical component of the brain's limbic system and plays a key role in the consolidation of short-term memories into long-term memories, as well as in spatial navigation. A deficit in the hippocampus would lead to an inability to establish memories that could later be retrieved.

HM Was a Patient Whose Hippocampus Was Surgically Removed in 1953