The Competitive Nature of Declarative and Nondeclarative Memory Systems: Converging Evidence from Animal and

Evidence from experimental animal studies as well as human neuroimaging studies has led researchers to agree that memory is not unitary in nature, but is actually subserved by multiple memory systems localized in different regions of the brain. Further research of the neurobiological basis of memory supports a clear distinction between the declarative (hippocampal dependent) and nondeclarative (striatal dependent) memory systems. Moreover, evidence indicates that the two memory systems may, in actuality, interact with one another during learning; however, the level at which this interaction occurs, either during acquisition or response, remains unknown. Investigation of the multiple memory systems and the mechanisms of interaction is not only important for what it reveals about the evolution and adaptive function of the brain, but for its clinical applications as well