Progress in neurobiology
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Relations between brain damage and memory disturbance are outlined with emphasis on the so-called amnesic syndrome. Following a brief introduction into forms of memory and memory failures, the basic causes of brain damaage (with relevance to amnestic failures) are described. Thereafter, the two best-known forms of brain damage-amnesia relations are reviewed: the consequences of damage to medial temporal lobe structures and to diencephalic regions. ⋯ The contribution of animal models of human amnesia is critically reviewed and discrepancies are analyzed between human and animal memory disturbances. This section emphasizes the value of investigating inter-dependencies between brain structures by pointing out that relations between memory disturbances and brain damage may be more complicated than apparent from a simple structure-function assignment. This aspect is further followed up in the conclusions.