Hippocampal contributions to memory for time: evidence from neuropsychological studies

Time and space are two critical elements of episodic memory that are supported by the hippocampus. Yet, until recently, there has been much greater focus on the involvement of this structure in spatial than in temporal features of memory. Here we highlight evidence from neuropsychological studies of patients with medial temporal lobe lesions, which have provided evidence that the hippocampus is critical for multiple facets of time, even in tasks that are not typically considered episodic. These studies show that the hippocampus supports memory for first, event duration, second, temporal order, and third, temporally discontiguous experiences. Overall, these findings align with theoretical models suggesting that the hippocampus codes for the temporal context of unfolding events.