The parietal cortex and episodic memory: an attentional account

Nat Rev Neurosci. 2008 Aug;9(8):613-25. doi: 10.1038/nrn2459.

Abstract

The contribution of the parietal cortex to episodic memory is a fascinating scientific puzzle. On the one hand, parietal lesions do not normally yield severe episodic-memory deficits; on the other hand, parietal activations are seen frequently in functional-neuroimaging studies of episodic memory. A review of these two categories of evidence suggests that the answer to the puzzle requires us to distinguish between the contributions of dorsal and ventral parietal regions and between the influence of top-down and bottom-up attention on memory.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Attention / physiology*
  • Brain Injuries / complications
  • Brain Injuries / pathology
  • Brain Injuries / physiopathology
  • Evoked Potentials / physiology
  • Hippocampus / physiology
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Memory / physiology*
  • Memory Disorders / etiology
  • Memory Disorders / pathology
  • Memory Disorders / physiopathology
  • Neural Pathways / anatomy & histology
  • Neural Pathways / physiology
  • Parietal Lobe / anatomy & histology
  • Parietal Lobe / physiology*