I’d tell you a story if I could: The role of hippocampal declarative memory in narrative construction

<div> <div> <div> <div> <p>Cohen, A.*, Kurczek J., & Duff, M. C. (2012, July). I’d tell you a story if I could: The role of hippocampal declarative memory in narrative construction. <i>Poster presentation at the University of Iowa Summer Undergraduate Research Conference</i>, Iowa City, IA.</p><p> The hippocampus has long been considered critical for declarative memory as hippocampal damage produces anterograde amnesia (i.e., an inability to form new memories). </p> <p>• Anterograde amnesia compromises the ability to create, update and juxtapose mental representations that can be used in service of declarative memory. Patients with amnesia, however, have been considered to have intact remote memory and an otherwise unremarkable neuropsychological profile (i.e., their sole deficit is forming new declarative memories). </p> <p>• However, new research suggests that the functioning of the hippocampus may extend beyond its contributions to memory to affect language (Duff & Brown- Schmidt, 2012). For example, the ability to create and tell stories requires the ability to bring together multiple representations. </p> <p>• When telling an autobiographical account or spontaneously creating a story individuals with amnesia may omit “episodic-like” details, such as time, place, and emotional states specific to the event and include more extraneous (i.e., semantic) details. </p> <p>• This research investigates narrative abilities in individuals with amnesia. </p> </div> </div> </div>